El Paso, Texas, USA
#00205
Case study of
#00185 Potable reuse of treated wastewater behind multi-barrier treatment and long acceptance-building
Implementer
El Paso Water
Timeline
Since Feb 27, 2025
Location
Description
El Paso Water broke ground on the Pure Water Center on 27 February 2025: the first US municipal direct-to-distribution potable reuse plant, sending 10 MGD of purified water straight into the distribution network with no aquifer or reservoir buffer. Capital cost is $295M (up from a $110M estimate in 2012); completion is expected in 2028. The project builds on 40 years of incremental reuse: El Paso has recharged the Hueco Bolson aquifer with reclaimed water since 1985 and operates large inland brackish desalination. Public support after sustained outreach stands at approximately 84%. Construction is underway; the plant is not yet delivering water.
Metrics
3Funding
Lessons learned
- Forty years of visible reuse infrastructure (aquifer recharge since 1985) normalized purified water in the public mind enough to make omitting the environmental buffer politically feasible.
- Direct-to-distribution reuse required decades of incremental, visible steps and structured outreach before reaching the ~84% public support needed to proceed.
- Delaying construction is expensive: the project cost nearly tripled between the 2012 estimate ($110M) and the 2025 groundbreaking ($295M), underscoring the financial risk of postponing committed projects.
Documented Jul 24, 2026