EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso Water has lifted the boil water notice following a major water main break in Northeast El Paso, restoring normal pressure levels across the system.
Gilbert Trejo, VP of operations and technical services at El Paso Water, confirmed, “Today, we are pleased to report that the boil water notice has been lifted and the water is safe to drink.” However, some customers may still experience air in the lines or a chlorine smell.
Ruben Rodriguez, chief water quality compliance officer, advised residents to “flush your household plumbing, run all cold water taps for at least five minutes, and maybe even up to 15 minutes if you still see that the water is not clear.”
KFOX
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The break, which occurred late Saturday night, drained 15 reservoirs and impacted over 100,000 residents.
El Paso Water acknowledged that the incident exposed vulnerabilities in the city’s 1950s-era system design, where a major water line was directly connected to multiple smaller distribution lines.
Trejo said, “This was an eye-opening experience for us… this is not the way they’re designed. They haven’t been designed this way for decades.”
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To prevent future issues, El Paso Water is installing additional valves throughout the Northeast system.
Trejo stated, “In the event that other breaks may occur, we have already added valves to the system and will continue to add valves to the system.”
The utility is also investigating whether similar system designs exist elsewhere in the city.
“We will be looking at it, all across the city. Not just in the northeast,” Trejo said. El Paso Water will continue to investigate the cause of the water main failure.
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