El Paso water laboratory ensures safe water supply

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The El Paso Water Utility is charged with providing safe water to hundreds of thousands of residents.

ABC-7 spoke to Ruben Rodriguez, chief water quality compliance officer.

He says they test approximately 40,000 samples to make sure it's both safe to drink and safe for the environment.

"The water that's coming into our wastewater plants will be cleaned," says Rodriguez. "Throughout the process of treatment and the water at the end... will actually be released back into the river."

The lab uses good bacteria to clean the water.

"We're removing a lot of the solids throughout the process we're actually using biological activity to remove organics in the water," Rodriguez says.

The laboratory partners with smaller water utilities that don't have the means to test.

"And since we have the sources and the accreditation," says Rodriguez. "We have the people we have the ability, were happy to run those samples here."

If a sample doesn't meet standards, there are safeguards.

"We sound the alarm and we let the superintendent know," says Rodriguez.

He credits the staff for all the lab's success.

"Fundamentally, what makes this lab work, is the people that run it.  We have to have a dedicated staff that understand what they do is important."