What is purified water?
Purified water is high-quality drinking water that is produced using the most advanced treatment processes available. Treated water, known as reclaimed or recycled water, from our wastewater facilities, is reused for irrigation and industrial processes. With today's technological advancements, we are ready to take the next step.
Reclaimed or recycled water passes through several phases of membrane filtration and disinfection using advanced water purification. This multiple-stage treatment process transforms the treated wastewater into a safe, reliable drinking water supply.
About EPWater's Pure Water Center
El Paso Water has completed the design of the Pure Water Center, an advanced water purification facility, which will produce up to 10 million gallons per day of water, to supplement the city’s drinking water supplies. Construction will begin early 2025, with an opening planned in late 2027.
EPWater has received approval from state regulators to move forward with construction of the Pure Water Center. Consistent with our vision to be a model for innovation in water resources, the Pure Water Center will use a direct-to-distribution approach, with the purified water flowing directly into the drinking water distribution system.
Why do we need it?
EPWater meets the challenge of serving our desert city by conserving water resources and diversifying our water supplies. We balance water from the river and two underground aquifers, as well as recycle treated water from our wastewater plants. However, when river water supplies are low, we need additional water resources to meet our customers' demands.
Purified water is a sustainable, environmentally conscience resource. By producing high-quality drinking water from a renewable source, we increase our resilience when river supplies are low. As our population increases, there will be more treated wastewater to purify. Advanced water purification makes sense for a community like El Paso.
Commitment to education
The Pure Water Center will be one of the first water reuse facilities of its kind in the country, maintaining EPWater’s place as an outstanding model for innovative water supply solutions. The Pure Water Center will also include a public education facility featuring:
- Interactive displays and visuals to learn more about water sources, environmental stewardship, water treatment and quality.
- Viewing opportunities of the advanced water purification process and virtual guides to follow the different treatment methods.
- The opportunity to visit our water-tasting station, which will provide direct access to purified water.
How is this project is being funded?
Grant funding will help reduce the cost impact on ratepayers.
- The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in 2019 provided $3.5 million in grant funding for the design of the Pure Water Center and provided another $20 million in 2022 for construction.
- The current estimate for the project is $290 million and EPWater continues to pursue state and federal funding opportunities.
Pilot Testing – Advanced Water Purification Process
In early 2016, EPWater completed pilot testing that led to the preliminary approval of the Pure Water Center. The pilot facility, co-located at the Roberto Bustamante Wastewater Treatment Plant, was designed to purify treated wastewater through a rigorous four-step process, which included:
- Membrane technology
- Reverse osmosis
- Ultraviolet disinfection with advanced oxidation
- Granular activated carbon filtration
The pilot testing successfully demonstrated that highly purified water can be consistently produced with this process. Thousands of water samples were analyzed at state-certified laboratories showing that the purified water meets and performs better than all primary and secondary drinking water standards.
Informational materials
Pure Water Center fact sheet (english pdf) (spanish pdf)