EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) —El Paso Water officials say service is improving after a weekend water main break drained reservoirs and disrupted water pressure for customers in parts of Northeast and Central El Paso but the incident is also fueling fresh scrutiny as a proposed rate increase heads to discussion by the utility’s governing board.
The Public Service Board, which oversees El Paso Water, is scheduled to discuss potential rate increases Wednesday morning, Jan. 14.
Number of residents affected by water main break drops
El Paso Water proposed the hike late last year: a 12% increase, which the utility has said would amount to about $10 more per month for the average customer.
The water main break began late Saturday night into early Sunday morning, forcing crews to stabilize the system and prompting a precautionary boil water notice in affected areas. Officials said the line that failed was more than 50 years old.
Residents impacted by the disruption said the timing is hard to ignore. One resident told KTSM, “It’s unfortunate this happened, but it’s something that’s got to get fixed.”
Another resident questioned whether rate dollars are being used effectively, saying, “Why are they raising rates if that money isn’t going toward fixing the infrastructure?”
El Paso Water leaders said proposed increases are tied to maintenance and replacement of aging infrastructure citywide. “Every dollar that comes to El Paso Water through customer rates is reinvested back into the system to help prevent issues like this,” said Gilbert Trejo, vice president for operations and technological service El Paso water.
Water main that broke was older than EP Water initially thought
Officials said the utility prioritizes higher-risk pipelines and uses a risk-based approach to determine which lines should be addressed first.
The PSB is also slated to discuss and take appropriate action on the weekend water main break.
The Public Service Board will meet at 8:30 am on Jan. 14 at 1154 Hawkins Blvd. The meeting is open to the public. You can attend the meeting in person or watch online.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.