Fishing At Local Water Treatment Plant To Benefit United Way
For some it’s a chance to bond. For others, a good way to raise money.
The El Paso Water Utilites is encouraging El Pasoans to do a little fishing in their ponds before they’re emptied for the season.
A good way to spend the day for one El Paso dad.
Flavio Coronado, who was fishing at Ascarate Lake on Friday, said fishing is a good hobby to spend quality time with friends and family and enjoy the tranquility of the lake.
“It’s relaxing. You can hear the trees, and the water, also the ducks,” he explained.
He told ABC-7 he’s thinking about going to the fishing derby at the Jonathan Rogers Water Treatment Plant to reel in a big catch.
This is the only time of year the public is allowed to fish at the plant’s ponds.
“We catch 6-pound bass, 7-pound bass, catfish, 10-pound catfish. There’s some big fish and it’s some nice fishing out here,” said Fernando Rico Jr. with El Paso Water Utilities.
He explained this is the season when farmers stop irrigating and water is no longer ordered from Elephante Butte until the end of February.
“Once they stop irrigating, they close the gates and the water gets salty. We can no longer treat that water,” said Rico.
He said two fish-filled ponds are emptied and cleaned. They don’t want the fish to go to waste, so the plant has an annual fishing derby, which benefits the United Way.
“We live to give [at] El Paso Water Utilities. And it just makes us feel good to be able to help that organization,” he said.
A chance for the people to give back to the community and for some, also a chance to bond with loved ones.
It’s the perfect combination said Coronado, who enjoys fishing with his son. “It’s very nice to be sitting beside him and talk about anything and not something in particular. So, spending time with him – it’s important to me,” Coronado said.
The fishing derby will be from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Jonathan Rogers Water Treatment Plant in El Paso’s Lower Valley.
The cost is $8 per pole. All the proceeds go to the United Way.
