El Paso and the Borderland are great places to live but they do have their little annoyances. Here are a couple of recent gripes from residents …

There is no true paradise, no matter where you are, there will be something that sucks. It could be a natural pain like lots of mosquitos or a regular flooding pattern. It could be unnatural, (but expected), like the noise of living near the airport.

The El Paso area offers a couple of sensory annoyances though that are super annoying and both are unpredictable.

What’s That Noise In Sunland Park?

We’ll start with one that recently got the attention of our news partners at KVIA. A weird, very loud, noise irritating folks in and near Sunland Park, New Mexico. Yep, it’s so loud peeps in Sunland Park and El Paso are complaining about it.

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A resident and his wife drove over the Sunland Park/El Paso border to investigate.

The couple initially believed the noise came from irrigation equipment behind their neighborhood. But after driving into Sunland Park to investigate, they traced it to what looked like an abandoned building.

When they parked nearby, the noise stopped, then suddenly started again. – KVIA

Turns out that ones going away, thankfully. Irritated residents should have their peace and quiet back by Spring, 2026 when the vacuum station causing the noise is replaced.

What’s That Smell On The West Side?

This one, however, isn’t going away … ever. It is, at least, intermittent though and not a constant. That stench the freakin’ water treatment plant near Executive and I-10 generates. It’s an awful smell that’s only noticeable under certain conditions.

Depending on which way the wind is blowing though, it can make you gag anywhere from UTEP to the intersection of Sunland Park and Doniphan going north/south and almost all the way up to Mesa going east/west.

It’s a nasty odor that’s made worse by the fact that it’s not always there. If it was, you’d get used to it and not notice but it dissipates just long enough for folks to really get a jolt when it returns. Ditto for the area near the plant down in the valley, close to Ascarate Lake.

Super yucky and totally there to stay.

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