Construction Begins On Nation’s First Direct-to-Distribution Water Reuse Facility

Development has begun on a 10-million-gallon-per day advanced purification facility in El Paso, Texas—the primary direct potable reuse challenge of its type within the U.S. The purified water will complement native provides throughout dry seasons and scale back quantities which can be withdrawn from the Rio Grande.

El Paso Water (EPWater) labored with the Texas Fee on Environmental High quality (TCEQ) for greater than a decade to make sure that the consuming water produced at this facility will meet all state and federal necessities. In late 2024, TCEQ granted ultimate design approval, permitting building to maneuver ahead. Designed by Carollo Engineers, the Pure Water Middle will probably be constructed by a PCL/Sundt Joint Enterprise underneath a $295-million CM-At-Danger contract.

EPWater has been working a pilot facility since 2016. The superior purification course of consists of membrane filtration, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet mild with superior oxidation, granular activated carbon filtration and chlorine disinfection.

The pilot plant was required by state laws, says Gilbert Trejo, vice chairman of EPWater. “It was a studying course of to know all of the distributors and applied sciences on the market.” The company consulted with friends in Southern California and visited gear producers. “There have been hundreds of samples and outcomes, and lots of of tourists to the plant.” 

The brand new facility is a part of EP Water’s $1.2-billion total program that features a $595-million retrofit of the present Roberto Bustamante Wastewater Remedy Plant and a $230-million improve of the Haskell facility, all additionally being achieved by the three way partnership, says Talwar.  The Bustamante plant will present the water that goes to the brand new plant.

“The expertise been in place for many years, and now the applying is coming to the forefront,” says Ankur Talwar, district supervisor for PCL’s Civil Infrastructure Division. “There are actually teams and organizations solely centered on purification.”

Crews are working in a greenfield space adjoining to the Bustamente plant, starting with soil reinforcement. “There will probably be a lot of massive concrete buildings, below-ground piping connecting services, and piping inside the footprint to attach the processes,” says Talwar. “Every of those applied sciences require massive gear.” Some 10,000 cubic yards of concrete will probably be positioned and about 40,000 of linear ft of piping will probably be put in on the 13-acre web site.

The ability will even function a de facto training/expertise middle, provides Nicholas Iannello, Sundt challenge government. “It has to look good.” 

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation awarded $3.5 million in 2019 for the ability’s design and dedicated a further $20 million in 2022 to help building. The entire challenge price is presently estimated at $295 million, and EPWater continues to pursue further state and federal funding. Development is predicted to be accomplished in 2028.

The technical features of designing the plant weren’t as difficult because the regulatory coordination, notes Caroline Russell, Carollo vice chairman and chief technologist. “There are consuming water laws in place for standard groundwater sources.” However for among the new processes, “we needed to do exception requests.” The crew needed to develop the technical data that TCEQ wanted to grant the permits. 

Trejo provides: “We joined forces to push regulators out of their consolation zone. The regulators didn’t wish to give us as a lot credit score as we felt our remedy was doing. Carollo did the calculations and proof to persuade them we do deserve our remedy practice.” 

“After we began the preliminary engineering, we noticed a chance to take contemporary take a look at the core remedy practice,” Russell says. “The water reuse subject is advancing shortly. We checked out UV advance oxidation with hydrogen peroxide or chlorine and methods to arrange the membrane filtration course of in order that down the road, there’s flexibility to herald new membranes because the market advances.”