Time is ticking for Rio Grande sewage cleanup

EL PASO, Texas – The cleanup efforts at the Rio Grande is expected to be completed soon, just weeks before river water is set to be released. 

When ABC-7 spoke with officials from El Paso Water back in March, they said they were confident the river would be cleaned up in time. 

Last August, the Frontera pipeline broke in west El Paso forcing El Paso to release millions of sewage water a day into the river. In total more than a billion gallons were diverted to the river.

The expected date for the water release is June 1, when the spring runoff from Elephant Butte is released for irrigation to Borderland farmers.

Jesus Reyes, the general manager of El Paso County Water Improvement District says they assisted El Paso Water in the cleanup. 

Reyes said that last year's irrigation season was cut short because of the sewage water being released into the river. 

He said he helped assist by routing some of the sewage water to El Paso Water treatment plants and farmers weren’t largely impacted since most of the sewage water had already been treated. 

However, farmers in the area are dealing with larger issues. 

Rudy Avila, a farmer in Clint, told ABC-7 the drought continues to affect him.

He said he wasn’t really impacted by the sewage water, but he said the extreme drought is a continuous problem. 

As a result of the drought he receives less irrigations per year and because of that he only grows a limited number of crops.

“I have 28 acres. I only plant 20, so I may have to plant 10 if the water level keeps going down and down,” Avila said. 

Ultimately, he said there is nothing much that can really be done since the droughts continue. 

Avila said that he even makes more money selling hay than selling sheep because of the price of hay.