EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — The El Paso Public Service Board has directed El Paso Water staff to begin gathering updated water demand projections tied to a proposed federal detention facility in Socorro.

The action comes after State Representative Vincent Perez and nearly 50 members of the Texas House sent a letter urging the board to review a decades-old water agreement between El Paso Water and the Lower Valley Water District.

At issue: how much water the proposed facility could require — and whether the region’s groundwater and ratepayers would be protected.

According to lawmakers, the proposed Department of Homeland Security facility could house up to 8,500 people, potentially making it one of the largest of its kind in the country.

Perez says even conservative industry estimates suggest the facility could require roughly 850,000 gallons of water per day.

Julia Spencer reports on Detention center could draw 1M gallons a day, spurring El Paso water review (Credit: KFOX14)

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Higher-end projections could push that number above one million gallons daily.

Last fiscal year, the Perez says the Lower Valley Water District used approximately 6.4 million gallons of water per day.

Perez argues the detention facility alone could represent a double-digit percentage increase in daily demand from a single user.

“We’re concerned about the long-term sustainability of the region’s water supply,” Perez said.

He’s asking the Public Service Board to review the 40-year-old wholesale water agreement between El Paso Water and Lower Valley Water District.

You can read the letters Perez sent to the members of the Public Service Board below:Perez points to provisions in the contract that prohibit depleting El Paso’s groundwater resources and shielding city ratepayers from additional costs.

“The contract makes it clear — don’t drain El Paso’s groundwater, and don’t pass the costs on to residents,” Perez said.

The topic was discussed during the board’s monthly meeting during executive session.

After the meeting, Gilbert Trejo, Vice President of Operations and Engineering for El Paso Water, said the board directed staff to formally begin requesting updated growth projections and technical data from the Lower Valley Water District.

“So really what the board directed staff to do was to interact with our customer, which is the Lower Valley Water District, in the normal course of business,” Trejo said.

Trejo stated that El Paso Water serves as the wholesale water provider to Lower Valley Water District.

Trejo emphasized that before any conclusions can be made, engineers need detailed projections on current and future water demand.

“Depending on what those numbers are — how does that affect us? Then we go through the engineering process as well. We will run our models,” Trejo said.

He added that if additional infrastructure such as pipes, tanks, or wells were required specifically to serve Lower Valley Water District, those costs would be calculated and assigned accordingly to the district.

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Some East El Paso County residents say their concerns center on water resources rather than immigration policy.

“Whatever your feelings are — whether you’re for or against detention — there’s just a straightforward water resource issue here that is super serious and super impactful on El Pasoans,” one resident said.

Others say they want the board to prioritize protecting local resources.

“I’m hoping that they will do their duty to preserve and protect our water supply for El Pasoans, not for the federal government,” another resident said.

For now, El Paso Water says the next step is reviewing updated growth projections from the Lower Valley Water District.

Only after those numbers are analyzed will engineers be able to determine whether the proposed facility would require additional infrastructure or have any long-term impact on groundwater supplies.

Public Service Board meetings are held the second Wednesday of each month at 8:30 a.m. at El Paso Water’s main office on Hawkins Boulevard. Meetings are open to the public and livestreamed online.

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