El Paso Water hopes to end sewage release into Rio Grande by year’s end

EL PASO, Texas - During the City of El Paso's Public Service Board meeting on Wednesday, Alan Shubert - who heads engineering, operations and technical Services for El Paso Water - explained the progress of the Frontera Force Main project.

Shubert told the board memebers and El Paso Mayor Oscar Leesar that EP Water plans on stopping the release of sewage into the Rio Grande by the end of the year if not sooner.

Shubert explained in the meeting that the troubled wastewater pipeline had to be completely replaced instead of repaired due to the numerous breaks.

Shubert told those in attendance that due to transportation problems the country is currently experiencing because of the pandemic, needed pipe fittings were still being held in a shipping container in a Houston harbor.

In order to combat that supply chain problem, Shubert said they have hired an out-of-town pipefitting manufacturer to setup on site at Doniphan Circle.

Shubert indicated that around 12 and a half million gallons of water was being taken out of the river at the Haskell and Bustamonte sites to be treated as part of the sewage remediation process.