Why didn we plan for and build a desalination plant years ago?
El Paso Water Utilities first began to consider the construction of a desalination plant in the late 1980s. However, because of the tremendous added cost, it has only been recently that technology and competition has improved and the costs reduced to make desalination more feasible. While there are other major desalination plants already in operation, they exist next to oceans and not in desert environments. These plants can dispose of their brine, a salty waste-water bi-product, by releasing it back into the ocean. The Ft. Bliss/EPWU desalination project, now underway, will produce about 2.5 million gallons of brine a day. The two options available for the disposal of this brine are in evaporation ponds or by injecting it into deep wells. Both options are expensive. Additionally, sea water provides an inexpensive, stable source of water for desalination plants. The Ft. Bliss/EPWU plant must pump brackish water from underground. This has required extensive geological studies to establi
