EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso County leaders are celebrating the addition of new utility vehicles to the county’s service fleet, aimed at helping crews reach remote areas to address illegal dumping and cleanup needs.
On Tuesday, the county was awarded $550,000 in federal funds to purchase new vehicles for its Rural Utility Service Vehicles Project, acquiring two tandem dump trucks and one bulk waste loader grappler truck
Officials said the initiative is meant to expand the county’s utility fleet to tackle illegal dumping in far areas of the county, as county officials said the project was identified as an important investment in solid waste and pollution prevention efforts.
“This is going to go a long way to helping us in doing cleanups,” said El Paso County Commissioner Sergio Coronado, who represents West and Northeast El Paso.
This comes as illegal dumping has become a growing problem in El Paso after city data showed a sharp increase in reported incidents in 2026.
According to the City of El Paso’s Environmental Services Department, there have been 84 confirmed illegal dumping incidents so far in 2026.
That’s significantly higher than the average of 32 incidents recorded annually over the past three years.
El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, who funded the project through her Fiscal Year 2024 Community Project, said the vehicles will also support broader efforts to protect the region’s environment and neighborhoods.
“These are the tools needed to keep the desert clean, the community clean, protect our water, protect our neighborhoods and our families,” Escobar said.
Local officials said the funding to purchase the vehicles came after Escobar submitted the project to the federal government through her office’s community project funding requests.
Meanwhile, Coronado also said the vehicles will help after storms, as the vehicles are expected to supplement flood response operations and provide additional equipment for other county projects.
“When flooding occurs, it brings down a lot of the trash and rocks, and these vehicles are going to help us with cleanup,” he said.
County officials said the additional resources will help keep unincorporated communities accessible, attractive and safe for residents, including elderly residents and individuals with disabilities, while addressing health, safety and environmental concerns in rural and disproportionately impacted areas of El Paso County.
RECOMMENDED: El Paso weighs options to address rise in illegal dumping
Sign up to receive the top interesting stories from in and around our community once daily in your inbox.