Penalty offset in exchange for EPWater’s performance of a Supplemental Environmental Project
EL PASO – Today, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) approved an Agreed Order with El Paso Water on an administrative penalty as part of the enforcement action of the Frontera Force Main Wastewater Emergency. The sudden, unexpected and catastrophic events forced the utility to discharge 1.2 billion gallons of wastewater into the Rio Grande between August 2021 and January 2022.
The Agreed Order incorporates a provision specifying an administrative penalty amount of $2,016,000 assessed by TCEQ that will be offset by EPWater’s successful performance of a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP).
The Project was performed as part of the settlement of an enforcement action brought by TCEQ.
“Discharging wastewater into the Rio Grande was not a decision we took lightly, and we put forth great efforts to make this right,” said John Balliew, EPWater President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are pleased that TCEQ considered our cleanup and remediation efforts in the areas that were impacted.”
EPWater fully cooperated with TCEQ from the onset of the wastewater emergency discharge and expended upwards of an estimated $7 million as part of the cleanup. The penalty offset means that the utility will not have to divert ratepayer funds from approved budget expenditures for the penalty.
“We do not want to experience another wastewater emergency in this area or anywhere else in the city,” Balliew said. “We are fully committed to doing everything we can to improve our wastewater system and reduce the likelihood of this happening again.”
Background: Beginning August 2021, major parallel wastewater pipelines in West El Paso, also known as the Frontera Force Mains, experienced multiple breaks. EPWater was in the process of a two-year project to replace the pipelines, which started in March 2020, after a condition assessment revealed significant corrosion. The project was 60% complete when the breaks happened. To avoid impacting public health and safety, EPWater had to redirect wastewater into the Rio Grande for about five months.
The pipelines carry wastewater from more than 110,000 Westside and Upper Valley residents to the John T. Hickerson Water Reclamation Facility. On average, the lines carry about 10 million gallons of wastewater daily.
EPWater expedited the replacement of the Frontera Force Mains with fiberglass water lines, a corrosion-resistant material. The utility worked with a contractor to overcome supply chain issues and have the pipe and components manufactured onsite.
Contractors worked seven days a week for four months to accelerate the installation of more than a mile of the Frontera pipeline. The new line became operational in December 2021, and discharge to the river stopped in early January 2022.