Central El Paso: EPWater plans next-summer repairs after third leak since 2020

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso Water is moving forward with repairs to a more than 60-year-old, 48-inch water transmission main after officials say the line developed its third leak since 2020.

EPWater updated the Public Service Board Wednesday on the Central El Paso transmission main, outlining immediate repairs and a much larger replacement project expected in the future.

The latest leak was identified in July, about two blocks from an area where problems were discovered in 2020.

During Wednesday’s meeting, EPWater officials said none of the three incidents resulted in an interruption of water service.

“Six years later, July 2026, a third leak was identified just two blocks from the 2020 leak,” an EPWater official told the board.

The transmission main was installed in the 1960s and is made of steel-cylinder concrete pipe.

El Paso Water President John Balliew told KFOX14 the 48-inch transmission main plays a significant role in moving water across the city.

“So it serves most of the city. So it goes from downtown, really all the way to Zaragoza,” Balliew said.

The system can receive water from treatment plants when Rio Grande surface water is available.

When it is not, Balliew said water from Northeast wells can feed the pipeline.

“So it’s a key part of our infrastructure,” Balliew said.

The size and importance of the line are particularly significant following the major water main break in Northeast El Paso earlier this year.

That break involved a 36-inch main and disrupted water service for tens of thousands of customer connections.

The Central El Paso transmission main is even larger at 48 inches.

Balliew said the consequences could have been significant if the problem with the 48-inch line had developed into a major failure.

“Depending upon the time of the year, it could have been much more consequential, in other words, more loss of water,” Balliew said.

EPWater has made a temporary repair to the latest problem area, but additional work is planned.

Balliew said crews will replace valves along the system to make sure sections of the transmission main can be properly isolated when repairs are necessary.

“The time to repair these types of breaks is really dependent upon whether the valves are functioning or not,” Balliew said.

According to Balliew, the valves involved in the latest repair worked properly, allowing crews to isolate the problem. However, the utility identified other valves that are not responding as well as they should.

EPWater plans to replace those valves before returning to the affected section of pipe next summer.

The utility is waiting until Rio Grande water is available through its treatment plants, giving the system more flexibility to continue supplying customers while the work is performed.

The repairs are only part of EPWater’s longer-term plan.

Balliew said the utility intends to eventually replace the aging transmission line with a new pipe.

“We’re going to repair this one and we’re going to do some additional reinforcement of it, and then we’ll have a completely new pipe that we’ll be starting in the near future,” Balliew said.

The existing pipe uses steel-cylinder concrete construction. Balliew said a future replacement would likely use high-density polyethylene, or HDPE, which is designed to resist corrosion and withstand the pressures required by the water system.

Replacing the line, however, will be a major undertaking.

The transmission main crosses developed portions of Central El Paso, meaning construction could affect traffic as well as access to homes and businesses.

“We’d have to work very closely and time it to try to minimize the disruption to traffic and disruption to people accessing their homes and businesses,” Balliew said.

Balliew said EPWater expects to return to the Public Service Board as part of the capital improvements budget process in the next couple of months to address the larger replacement project.

For now, the latest leak has been repaired and EPWater says service was not interrupted. The utility’s next steps include replacing valves and preparing to replace the affected section next summer while planning for the eventual replacement of the aging transmission line.

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