1 of 2 broken west El Paso wastewater lines fixed, will reduce odor
EL PASO, Texas -- El Paso Water announced Monday that it had repaired one of two damaged wastewater lines in west El Paso near Sunland Park Drive and Doniphan Drive, which it said will eliminate wastewater flows into storm water ponds and the stinky smell that accompanied it.
The repair will also reduce some of the volume of wastewater discharged into the Rio Grande, officials added.
Since last month, EP Water has had to re-route the wastewater to the ponds, which caused a significant odor problem on the west side of the city.
Officials said the ponds near Frontera Road, Doniphan Drive and Sunland Park Drive will now be drained, disinfected and deodorized.
“We have reached a point where we are gradually reducing the impact to affected businesses and residents,” said EP Water Chief Technical Officer Gilbert Trejo. “Odors should begin to decrease as clean-up efforts ramp up."
The old pipes for the Frontera Force Mains that ruptured are being replaced with fiberglass pipes which are resistant to corrosion.
“Due to corrosion in the second force main, we determined the best course of action is to completely re-route to the new replacement pipeline, which is mostly installed in this stretch and nearing completion,” said Trejo.
EP Water says wastewater will continue to be released into the Rio Grande until the new pipeline is connected and they urged people to continuing avoiding contact with river water.
