Recent headlines of water crises across the globe in cities such as Bogotá, Barcelona, Sydney and Honolulu serve as a caution to manage our water supply sustainably. Desert cities, such as ours, learned this decades ago, and El Paso Water serves as an international model for water solutions.
During the brutal Texas “Drought of Record” in the 1950s, El Paso was forced to endure rolling water outages, not unlike rolling power blackouts used to manage supply and demand. That dramatic wake-up call seven decades ago led to significant water supply innovations, governance reforms and leaps in conservation.
One water
With Sydney’s and Bogotá’s reservoirs running dry or Honolulu’s aquifer at risk, we can see they all rely on one main source of water. The old adage of never putting all your eggs in one basket applies in particular to a city’s water supply. At EPWater, we already know that long-term sustainability requires a diversified portfolio of water sources. Over the decades, we acquired water rights and invested in research and infrastructure to draw upon a combination of river water, fresh groundwater and desalinated groundwater.
This fall, EPWater will break ground on a bold water reuse project that will be the first direct pipe-to-pipe project of its kind in the U.S. This project will convert reclaimed water into fresh drinking water and send it directly to customers. This new water supply is safe, reliable and drought-proof for El Paso. Additionally, it’s a sustainable local supply that we won’t have to pipe in from miles away.
We know water-supply projects are expensive and require long-term planning. In 1952, El Paso Mayor Fred Hervey had the foresight to move El Paso’s water/wastewater function out from under the political structure and under a Public Service Board instead. Each of its seven members has designated expertise in such areas as engineering, finance or environment/health. These volunteers take their roles seriously, knowing that the future of our city and its economic vitality depends on our water security.
Every drop counts
Long-term sustainability also requires a firm, permanent commitment to conservation. Since the 1970s, El Paso has cut its water consumption by 40%. With only 8-9 inches of rain per year, there’s nothing like a hot, sun-baked day in the desert to remind you that water is a valuable commodity.
The combination of ongoing programs to promote saving water and El Pasoans’ willingness to reduce consumption has led our residents to embrace such measures as natural water smart landscapes, short showers and WaterSense-certified appliances.
By no means is our city free from challenges. Like much of America, we saw a spike in water consumption in 2020 during the worst of the COVID pandemic, and only now are we beginning to return to pre-pandemic water use levels. Long-term sustainability will require all of us to tighten our water belts. We also know that every new water source we add is likely to be more expensive than the last, pressuring our rates and affordability.
For too long, we have flipped on the faucet and taken water for granted. Water has been inexpensive and undervalued. However, carefully planned investment is far cheaper than the type of urgent emergency solutions confronted by many cities.
