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As the city waits to receive its shortened river supply in June, El Paso Water is closing in on a May 1 deadline to prime eight new wells for pumping fresh water into the distribution system.

“Every drop of water counts when your city is in the middle of a long-term river drought, EP Water officials shared. “EPWater will supplement El Paso’s water supply by responsibly pumping from wells to meet demand.”

Visitors to a well-equipping event earlier this month were given a behind-the-scenes tour, as crews prepared wells for the water distribution system.

The group was shown well 42A – 705-foot-deep well – and one of eight included in EPWater’s Drought Resolution Program, which was approved in July to allow for expedited procurement for drought-relief projects.

Utility Water Resources Manager Scott Reinert invited engineering consultants from Brown and Caldwell to engage visitors with details about the drought-relief project, which is about 75% complete.

Visitors learned about the multi-disciplined approach necessary to complete a well-equipping project – one that involves civil, mechanical, electrical and structural engineering.

“Hosting an event like this lets people see the efforts from the contractor, consultants and the El Paso Water staff,” Reinert said.

Engineer Joe Moreno of Brown and Caldwell told visitors that Well 42A is a replacement for the old Well 42, which had collapsed and was no longer able to produce water.

“It’s more cost effective to drill a whole new well,” Moreno said. “Rehab can be quite expensive, and if you rehab you are not going to get as many years like you would with a brand-new well.”

“You can spend $200,000 fixing an old well and it may last about five years, or you can spend more money on a new one and it will last 50 years,” Reinert added.

Operation of the 705 foot-deep well will soon be connected into EPWater’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, said Engineer Armando Ramirez of Brown and Caldwell. Once connected, the well will be among the hundreds remotely monitored by Central Control – key to the city’s water distribution.

“Central Control has the ability to stop and start the well,” Ramirez said. “They will know how much flow, the pressure and if there’s an intrusion.”

Utility Engineering Associate Eric Jacquez was among the visitors who said he was happy to gain a wealth of knowledge about wells.

“I didn’t know the process and rules behind building a well,” Jacquez said. “This was educational and worthwhile.”

“I have worked at El Paso Water for a little over 30 years and this is the first time I saw how we search for a suitable location to drill a well, construct and make it operational,” said Oscar Chavez, Engineering Lead Technician. “It’s not as simple as I thought. I believe the public and El Paso Water employees benefit greatly from attending these events.”

Reinert expects to host another similar educational event in the fall.

“It shows what’s involved in water supply projects as well as the teamwork that’s needed to get these projects completed with aggressive scheduled requirements,” he said.

AUSTIN – Texan by Nature (TxN), a Texas-based conservation non-profit founded by former First Lady Laura Bush, announced Monday the selection of the 2019 Conservation Wranglers – including a program by El Paso Water.

“Texan by Nature brings innovation in conservation to the forefront for the benefit of generations of Texans to come,” said former First Lady and Founder of Texan by Nature, Mrs. Laura Bush. “We are honored to showcase the brilliant minds within the conservation field and support their incredible work as official TxN Conservation Wranglers.”

Texan by Nature brings business and conservation together through initiatives that promote stewardship of Texan natural resources.

The organization’s Conservation Wrangler program recognizes innovative and transformative conservation projects across the state of Texas.

Each Conservation Wrangler project models “Return on Conservation” by positively impacting people, prosperity, and natural resources. The TxN team will be working with the projects for 12-18 months providing tailored aid, resources, and visibility.

“Conservation Wrangler applications increased by 100% this year,” said Joni Carswell, President and CEO of TxN. “We are proud of the community’s response and inspired by the continuous work being done across the Lone Star State. The 2019 Conservation Wranglers are posed to positively impact our land, natural resources and people and are prime examples of how we achieve BIG, BOLD, conservation in Texas.”

The six selected 2019 Conservation Wranglers include:

El Paso Water – Certified Water Partner Program
Located in the Chihuahuan Desert, which typically receives less than 9 inches of rain a year, El Paso is a city that has long grappled with water security.

In recent decades, municipal water planning has led to increased resource diversification, expanded water reclamation, passage of conservation ordinances, new plumbing codes for water efficiency in new homes, as well as rebate and incentive programs to cut water consumption.

With these measures in place, El Paso has successfully reduced per-person residential water use by 35%.

To continue their efforts and incentivize water conservation, the city created the Certified Water Partner program with the vision of engaging commercial and industrial customers by raising awareness of cost-reducing water conservation practices and giving positive recognition to businesses for implementing them.

The Certified Water Partner Program is seeking increased visibility to better reach El Paso businesses and spread the message of water conservation to other Texas communities.

Ducks Unlimited – Texas Prairie Wetlands Project
Established in 1991, the Texas Prairie Wetlands Project (TPWP) is a collaborative effort between Ducks Unlimited, Inc., Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Gulf Coast Joint Venture, and the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

The primary goal is to restore, enhance, and protect shallow, seasonally flooded wetland habitat on private lands along the Texas Gulf Coast. These ephemeral wetlands provide critical wintering and migration habitat for thousands of waterfowl, shorebirds, and other wetland-dependent species, in addition to water filtration and other ecosystem services. TPWP provides cost-share assistance to private landowners and technical advice from partners.

The project has delivered more than 83,000 wetland acres in the region and is seeking additional engagement with landowners, landowning businesses and corporations along the Texas Coast.

Galveston Bay Foundation – Oyster Shell Recycling
Oyster reefs are an important component of healthy estuarine ecosystems, filtering contaminants from the water, protecting shorelines, stabilizing sediment, and providing food and shelter for other species.

Despite their importance, oyster reefs are one of the most threatened marine habitats in the world, with documented losses of 85% globally due to extreme weather and unsustainable harvesting. The Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF) reclaims shucked oyster shells from local seafood restaurants through their recycling program, which are used in restoration activities throughout the Galveston Bay estuary.

Since 2011, GBF has collected over 900 tons of oyster shells, of which over 60% have already been incorporated into reef restoration projects. GBF’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program aims to raise awareness about oyster reef restoration and recruit new restaurant partners in the Houston-Galveston area.

Friends of Rio Grande Valley Reef
Located 13-miles northeast of South Padre Island, the 1650-acre Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Reef is the largest artificial reef off the Texas coast.

Since 2014, Friends of RGV Reef is dedicated to the ongoing habitat restoration of this important fishery by implementing comprehensive science-based management of this Gulf ecosystem. Historically, this low-relief nursery reef was comprised of sandstone, clay, caliche, and associated soft coral cover.

This created valuable habitat for juvenile Red Snapper and other reef fishes. However, this low-relief material had been severely degraded by trawl fishing in recent decades, drastically reducing juvenile snapper survivorship and recruitment. Friends of RGV Reef combat this loss by deploying artificial reefing materials of different concentrations and sizes, ranging from intentionally sunken vessels to concrete rail ties and cinder blocks.

Diverse, complex reef substrate can provide habitat for snapper of all ages and sizes, in addition to habitat for hundreds of other species of fish, invertebrates, and turtles that frequent the reef. Friends of RGV Reef is seeking to raise awareness of this ecologically and economically important reef, and to secure material, financial, and academic support for their restoration efforts.

Oaks and Prairies Joint Venture – Grassland Restoration Incentive Program
In the last century, grassland birds have experienced greater population losses than any other North American avian group, with some species declining more than 90%.

Though many factors contribute to population declines, the primary cause is the widespread loss of quality native grassland and shrub savanna habitat. Introduction of non-native grasses, fire suppression, overgrazing, and cropland conversion have reduced this important habitat to less than 3% of its pre-settlement land area.

Since 2012, in response to these threats, the Oaks and Prairies Joint Venture (OPJV) flagship Grassland Restoration Incentive Program (GRIP) has engaged partners and landowners to restore privately-owned grasslands across the state. GRIP provides financial incentives to landowners for implementing grassland bird habitat practices on their lands, in addition to technical support from partner organizations.

OPJV is seeking to raise awareness of their successful restoration efforts and reach other Texas communities with their message of grassland conservation for bobwhites, songbirds, pollinators, other wildlife, and the Texas citizens who live in and enjoy our natural environment.

Trinity Nature Conservancy – Trinity River Paddling Trail
The Trinity River is the longest fully-contained river in the state of Texas, flowing through 18,000 square miles of watershed and through five major eco-regions. With the support of local municipalities, the Trinity Nature Conservancy (TNC) launched their Trinity River Paddling Trail project in 2018 that will establish a 127-mile paddling trail along the Trinity River.

The trail will provide 7.4 million residents of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex with recreation, conservation, and education opportunities. This project will create paddling trail connectivity and increase river accessibility, resulting in increased public education and awareness of the importance of the Trinity River and its surrounding ecosystems.

TNC hopes the increased awareness will result in efforts to enhance water quality, in addition to increase conservation efforts along the river. TNC hopes to gain National Recreation Trail designation from the National Park Service. Long-term goals include an extension of the paddling path to reach the river’s terminus into Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

TNC is seeking partners, volunteers, and funding for the project.

Texan by Nature 2019 Conservation Wranglers were selected, in part, based on the following criteria:

• Texan-led conservation initiative
• Benefits community by providing tangible returns for people, prosperity, and natural resources
• Reaches new and diverse audiences
• Science-based
• Measurable process and conservation outcomes
• Partnership between community, business, individuals, and conservation organizations

All will receive 12-18 months of tailored support and resources including:

• Connections to technical expertise and industry support
• Recognition and participation in annual Conservation Wrangler Summit and Celebration
• TxN seal of partnership
• Op-Ed piece promoting individual initiative
• Letter of support from TxN leadership
• Content and collateral cross promotion via TxN channels including social media, newsletters, and website

Texan by Nature’s work spans multiple conservation initiatives, including the Conservation Wrangler program, the TxN Certification program, and the Symposia series, which features pollinator initiatives, health and nature research, and the TxN Leadership Roundtables.

TxN officials add, “These programs aim to deliver measurable results by building collaborative, science-based initiatives between individuals, communities, conservation organizations, and businesses.”

Texan by Nature will recognize the 2019 Conservation Wranglers on November 13, 2019, in Dallas, TX at the George W. Bush Presidential Center. This diverse set of projects impacts land, water, habitat, and more, spanning 64 counties and 7 ecological regions.

El Paso has high hopes for the snowpack in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. Every drop of water counts when your city is in the middle of a long-term river drought.

But a hearty snowpack doesn’t necessarily solve our water supply challenges. Our community’s river supply is dependent on how much water reaches Elephant Butte Reservoir, which is currently at 10 percent of its capacity.

River drought in 2018 resulted in a low of 3 percent capacity at Elephant Butte. Preliminary indications signal a May delivery of river water – two months later than normal.

Rio Grande Watershed

When El Paso Water tracks snowpack, we focus on the precipitation that falls within the Rio Grande Watershed Basin, which extends 355,500 square miles through three U.S. states – Colorado, New Mexico and Texas – and five Mexican states.

The 1939 Rio Grande Compact divides a significant portion of the Rio Grande’s water among Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. The amount of water that states receive depends on how much water is in the river that year. Upstream reservoirs – such as Heron, El Vado, Abiquiu and Cochiti – capture and help manage Rio Grande water resources.

The West has received plenty of snowfall this winter, but to understand what this means for El Paso and Elephant Butte, it’s important to focus more narrowly on the snowpack within our watershed. Snow falling in Denver, Colorado, or even in neighboring Ruidoso, New Mexico, won’t benefit the Rio Grande. However, if snow falls in the mountains near the Wolf Creek ski area in Colorado, or the New Mexico mountains near Taos or parts of Santa Fe – the Rio Grande will gain from the snow melt.

Our Rio Grande water depends on several factors falling into place: snowpack, runoff and soil conditions, and how much water is in storage at Elephant Butte.

Melting snowpack may be affected by factors such as sublimation when warm winds in May blow, transforming snow into water vapor.

Two issues that could affect runoff flowing down into Elephant Butte are flooding in northern New Mexico and seepage losses, whether to dry soils or irrigation canal systems along the Rio Grande Corridor.

El Paso depends on the Rio Grande for about half of its water supply. However, EPWater has experienced severely reduced river supplies in the recent past. We endured 2013 – a year we received 10,000 out of a possible 60,000 acre feet of normal river water supply.

In anticipation

After studying the situation for several months, staff acted to reprioritize Capital Improvement Plan projects as well as expedite certain work to ensure preparedness. As a result, the Public Service Board in July 2018 approved a Drought Resolution, which allows for accelerated procurement for drought-relief projects.

Limited river water means groundwater is at a premium. EPWater maximizes groundwater production by rehabilitating old wells and drilling new ones. To protect freshwater portions of our aquifer, we have applied desalination technologies to certain Lower Valley wells called upon during drought.

We have prepared for this by easing off groundwater production in years when we have a normal river water supply. This helps stabilize our aquifers and prevents over-pumping.

EPWater possesses a reliable portfolio of water resources that we can turn to when one resource is limited, including desalination and water reuse. For many years, water reuse has been an effective water management strategy, whether replenishing our Hueco aquifer with treated wastewater or using reclaimed water for irrigation of parks, golf courses and industry.

We can also count on the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant, which has helped us meet our water needs in times of drought. The world’s largest inland desalination plant can produce up to 27.5 million gallons of fresh water per day.

EPWater is prepared to take on drought and prove our resiliency. Even though El Paso faces a shortened river water supply this spring,

EPWater wants to assure customers that we have reliable options. We have built an innovative portfolio of water resources for circumstances exactly like this one.

As always, we will rely on our customers to be prudent and responsible with their water choices because in El Paso conservation is a way of life. For almost three decades, EPWater has seen total water usage per person decline by 35 percent.

Author: John Balliew, P.E., President/CEO – El Paso Water

***

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On Wednesday afternoon, officials with El Paso Water announced plans to assist furloughed workers who have missed paychecks due to the government shutdown.

EPWater will assist any federal worker who may need additional flexibility in paying their bill. Appropriate identification and verification of furloughed status is required so EPWater can suspend water shut-offs and offer payment deferments and/or flexible payment plans.

Affected customers should email customer.service@epwater.org with the following information: a copy of their ID or pay stub to verify they are a federal employee, their account number and a phone number or email to reach them.

They are asked to type “Furloughed worker” in the subject line.

Customers may also visit the customer service center at 6400 Boeing Drive, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

El Paso Water’s Kyle Eckert and Luis Velasquez have heard all about the giant ball of grease – weighing 130 tons – that recently threatened to flood London’s streets with wastewater.

The pretreatment inspectors for Environmental Compliance and Industrial Pretreatment want you to know that EPWater is working toward a cleaner city one drain at a time.

Utility FOG inspectors aim to make sure London’s problem doesn’t become El Paso’s by educating restaurant staffs across the city. Their goal is to prevent wastewater blockages by teaching El Pasoans how to properly dispose of fats, oils and grease (FOG).

London’s giant mass – aka fatberg – formed when cooking oil and other fats were flushed down drains. From there, flushed FOG accumulated with other discarded materials , such as wipes and diapers.

The message is simple, Eckert said. “Be informed, be aware of what you are dumping down the drain and how it will impact the

community,” Eckert tells restaurant owners and managers.

Both Eckert and Velasquez have worked at wastewater plants and are familiar with the damage FOG can wreak.

“People want information on FOG,” Velasquez said. “The people we talk to want to know what’s wrong, how it’s wrong and how they can fix it.”

“We work very hard to minimize the impacts to the wastewater system, but we must rely heavily on individuals and businesses taking personal responsibility for what is poured down their drains,” said Sonia Wyatt, Code Compliance Manager.

During an inspection to a popular bakery on the East Side, Eckert trained Velasquez on EPWater’s FOG program, which regulates the discharge, transportation and disposal of FOG. Both checked the bakery’s grease trap to ensure compliance standards had been met.

What they found, though, was a grease trap brimming with fats, food waste and red chile sauce, the kind used for menudo and red chile tamales.

“It can get bad enough that the grease trap or pipe can no longer do its job,” Eckert said.

The FOG inspectors’ message is especially important Inspectors find FOGaround the holiday season when El Pasoans are cooking. The message is relevant year-round, Eckert said. EPWater reminds customers about the consequences of not heeding this advice with the “Defend Your Drains” outreach campaign.

One of the best ways to enforce the FOG message is by passing on the knowledge that comes with the job, Eckert said. It also helps if you have a captive audience, like the students at Ramona Elementary students on a recent visit.

“If you tell a child, they will tell their parents as soon as they get home,” Velasquez said. “They will make sure that their parents are disposing of FOG the right way.”

For more information, visit the EP Water page on FOG.

With rain moving into the area, El Paso Water officials remind residents that there is only one location to pick up sandbags in the city.

The Stormwater Operations Center, located at 4801 Fred Wilson, is open throughout the year. Customers can get sandbags between 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The limit is 10 bags per visit. Please bring a copy of your water bill.

Persons who cannot lift heavy items should be accompanied by someone who can assist with loading and unloading the bags.

The Central location was closed for the season at the end of September. All seasonal satellite sites will reopen next summer.

Technology is making waves at El Paso Water, as the utility modernizes for the future by embracing robotic crawlers and emerging  and ‘trenchless technologies’ that are changing the way crews manage El Paso’s aging infrastructure.

EPWater officials say their push for modernization comes, in part, from “strategic directions prioritized in our 10-year Strategic Plan.”

“We are committed to improving El Paso’s water and stormwater infrastructure, and modernizing equipment and technologies that contribute to increased efficiencies and productivity.”

Stormwater operations employees rave about the new MiniDozer, which can carry a half-ton of debris and do the work of a six-person crew to clear waterways. The MiniDozer also makes it safer for Stormwater employees who work year-round to keep systems free of debris.

Now a crew of three workers, with one operating the MiniDozer via a remote control that resembles a video game control with joysticks, does the work of a crew of six workers with wheelbarrows and shovels.

Another innovative tool is the ‘G3 crawler,’ which uses electromagnetism to detect potential breaks in EPWater’s major water mains. The tethered robot crawls along the bottom of a water line, recording video for inspection of the pipe’s interior.

With the G3 Crawler, speed and cost savings are paramount.

“The cost-effective technology allows our crew members to get to the root of problems quickly and avoid service disruptions. The remote-controlled robot can pinpoint problem areas, helping crews to avoid costly replacement of entire pipes,” officials stated.

EPWater employees also consider trenchless technologies another low-impact and money-saving option to repair our stressed infrastructure. In recent projects, the utility has employed pipe bursting and Insituform.

• In pipe bursting, specialized equipment pulls a bullet-shaped metal cone through the old pipe, bursting it along the way. The new pipe is fed through the space, and the shards of the old pipe are safely left buried. The process only requires digging up a small area on either end of the pipe, substantially decreasing road closures. The process is twice as fast as the traditional cutting method and offers a 30 percent cost savings.

• Insituform uses cured-in-place pipe technology – a pipe within a pipe – with little to no digging. This more environmentally friendly technology has renewed pipelines beneath interstates and busy roadways without disrupting traffic. This technology was recently used to replace a collapsed stormwater pipe on Belvidere Street in west El Paso.

“EPWater’s technological toolbox will continue to grow as we explore innovative techniques to best serve customers, manage facilities and fund infrastructure improvements,” officials added.

In May of 2017, El Paso Water started a new program that allows local businesses to become a Certified Water Partner and showcase El Paso Water’s recognition of their water conservation efforts.

“It’s a constant reinforcement of water conservation,” said Norma Guzman, a certified water specialist for El Paso Water. “It shows a partnership, that we’re all in it together. It’s important to go beyond just conserving water at home.”

These businesses have met best practice criteria such as installing water efficient kitchen equipment, faucets, and toilets, while protecting wastewater systems with responsible fats and grease disposal.

Tabla is one of the newest businesses to be certified, and Sous Chef Jason Lucero is thrilled at the progress they’ve made in the kitchen.
“We’re always able to turn on a faucet without knowing exactly how much water we’re using, and being more conscious of it has helped how much we waste,” said Lucero.

EP Water officials add that for a business to become a Certified Water Partner, they must be local, have their own meter, utilize best practices for water efficiency and have a responsible fats and grease disposal system.

With 25 partners since the start of the program, Guzman said she’s happy with the positive impact the program is having on the community. In addition to recognizing restaurants that have good practices in conservation, El Paso Water also advises restaurants that don’t meet criteria how they can do even more to save water by helping them develop a plan of action to qualify for certification.

“We’ll come back at no charge and at their convenience. We clearly tell them where they missed the mark, what they need to do. We’re happy to go back to see progress and whether they have done what it takes to be certified, because we want them to save water,” said Guzman.

She stresses that all the information gathered during inspection for certification is kept confidential and at no time involves enforcement or penalties of any kind. Participation is strictly voluntary.

Photos of all Certified Water Partners are posted and tagged on El Paso Water Facebook and Twitter pages at least a few times a year. A short video also features some of the Partners. The publicity aims to publicly recognize these restaurants for their efforts, with hopes that other will follow.

More information on the program can be found online  by selecting the conservation tab, and then clicking on the Certified Water Partner logo.

Starting Wednesday, El Paso Water will close Alabama Street, from Wheeling Avenue to Richmond Avenue, to all traffic for several weeks to complete the next phase of the Kentucky Dam stormwater improvement project.

During the closure, crews will replace the water mains in the closed off area and install new stormwater lines, improving services and flood safety for the area.

Drivers for both directions of traffic will be able to detour around the construction by driving over to Piedras Street and then back onto Alabama via Wheeling or Richmond.

The $3.9 million project will help reduce flooding in Central El Paso. The project will increase the capacity of nearby ponds and add piping that keeps water off the streets by directing stormwater into the dam.

Additionally, the project will improve service in the area by replacing water and wastewater lines.

El Paso Water announces that the last day to pick up sandbags at the satellite distribution sites will be Sunday, October 1 at 8pm. Seasonal satellite sites will reopen next summer.

The Stormwater Operations Center, located at 4801 Fred Wilson, is open throughout the year.

EP Water officials remind customers that they can get sandbags Monday through Friday between 8AM – 4PM beginning Monday, Oct. 2nd.

Sandbags are for flood control purposes only and limited to 10 sandbags per visit.

People who have difficulty lifting heavy items are encouraged to come with someone who can assist with loading and unloading.