EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — A Texas board approved millions of dollars to improve old and inefficient water systems in Far East El Paso.
On Thursday, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) approved giving $5,000,000 from the Texas Water Development Fund to the Haciendas Del Norte Water Improvement District in Homestead Meadows North, an area 30 miles north of Montana Avenue.
According to TWDB, the money will be used to replace 6,550 feet of 12-inch raw water line, 2,420 feet of 6 to 12-inch water distribution lines, water meters and isolation valves, as well as adding 200 ultrasonic water meters, 40 isolation valves, and eight fire hydrants and reducers.
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This comes after the resolution described that El Paso Water’s 12-inch raw water line in the area is 40 years old and prone to breaks– an average of two per month per connection– leading to a loss of 18 million gallons of water per year, which the District said is 27 percent of water treated in the system.
Furthermore, the District explained that valves were inoperable, and its service meters are monitored manually due to the lack of a SCADA system– a computer system.
As a result, it hurts the detection and response time when leaks happen.
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KFOX14/CBS4 has reached out to EPWater to learn more about how this money will be used to fund these improvements.
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