El Paso Water Utilities OKs new plant for fresh water

El Paso is one step closer to being less dependent on the Rio Grande for water.

A company was given the OK to build a new water treatment plant in El Paso.

It will take waste water from the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant in East El Paso and making the water drinkable.

El Paso has the world’s largest inland desalination plant but even that plant can’t convert all the harsh water into drinking water. With this additional plant the city will have access to an extra million and a half gallons of fresh water.

“They are going to run it through their own process and generate materials through it which they can sell and the water comes back to us as drinking water,” said President and CEO of El Paso Water Utilities, John Balliew.

Balliew is talking about Enviro Water Minerals Company.

“They take the waste for free and we purchase the water back from them,” said Balliew.

Balliew said the use for the minerals removed from the brackish water.

“They’ll have sodium chloride pellets like you would go to Lowe’s and buy for a water softener. In addition(They’ll have) a magnesium sulfate which is used for farmers that have problems with salt,” said Balliew.

For El Paso, it means less dependency on the Rio Grande which officials say they’ve seen diminish because of drought.

Balliew says the cost for processing the water through the plant is about $200 for every 325,000 gallons.

“That’s about the same rate we pay to take the raw right out of the Rio Grande, so it’s a very cheap source of water,” said Balliew.

The CEO promises the fresh water boost won’t cost:

“This particular project it doesn’t affect the customer. It’s not going to have a bill impact or anything like that. It just essentially creates a more efficient plant for us,” said Balliew.

Officials at the El Paso Water Utilities couldn’t say when the company will begin construction but they tell ABC-7 plant is already in the design phase.