EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso Water announced that services have been restored in Northeast and Central El Paso following a major water outage that began over the weekend.
Crews completed repairs to the damaged pipe segment, and all 15 water storage tanks are now filled and operating at healthy levels.
However, a boil water notice remains in effect for the affected area.
Extensive water sampling has been conducted, and El Paso Water and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will review the results before lifting the notice. “We must fully disinfect the system before we can lift the Boil Water Notice,” said Gilbert Trejo, vice president of operations and technical services. Customers may notice a chlorine smell in their water due to boosted disinfection levels.
The outage, caused by a broken large water main, impacted about 38,000 customer connections, affecting more than 100,000 residents.
The failure exposed vulnerabilities in a 1950s-era system design.
“This outdated design practice is no longer used, and it limited our ability to isolate the break and prevent the entire system from draining,” Trejo said. To reduce future risks, crews are installing additional valves throughout the Northeast system.
El Paso Water has updated the water distribution schedule, with sites now closing at 10 p.m. and opening at 5 a.m.
Customers should bring their own containers to distribution locations, including North Skies Park, Sue Young Park, Arlington Park, Sunrise Park, Chisolm Park, and Grandview Park.
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