EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso Water is set to hold a news conference on Tuesday afternoon to provide updates on the water main break and boil water notice affecting thousands of customers in Northeast and Central El Paso.
The conference will cover water quality, progress on repairing the water main, and water restoration efforts.
Gilbert Trejo, VP of Operations and Technical Services, Ruben Rodriguez, Chief Water Quality Compliance Officer, and Dr. Hector Ocaranza, El Paso City-County Health Authority, will be present to discuss the ongoing situation impacting local schools and businesses.
El Paso Water said in a social media post that crews removed the damaged segment of the 36-inch water main overnight.
“The operation has posed a challenge for crews, as they are simultaneously pumping remaining water out of the line to keep it out of the trench where crews are working,” El Paso Water said in the Facebook post.
Vice President of Operations and Technical Services Gilbert Trejo stated, “When the work site is dry and when our crews are ready to work on the site, everything we need is on hand to complete the repairs.”
Trejo confirmed that a water boil notice remains in effect.
The affected pipe, which is 50 years old, was not previously identified as high-risk.
“We have programs for old pipes to repair and replace old pipes,” Trejo said, noting that similar concrete pipes are widespread in the city.
Four homes near the break are directly impacted.
Full restoration of water service could take up to 72 hours, and El Paso Water is urging residents and businesses to minimize water use and suspend all non-essential activities during this period.
El Paso Water created a map on its website to see the affected areas.
RELATED: El Paso Water crews removed damaged 36-inch main as boil notice remains in effect
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