First wastewater treatment facility in the city
EL PASO – EPWater marks a major milestone in the centennial celebration of the city’s first wastewater facility, the Haskell R. Street Wastewater Treatment Plant. To recognize the plant’s decades of service to El Paso, EPWater hosted a ceremony to honor plant employees and retirees and the critical role of the facility in serving the El Paso community for a century.
Today, the Haskell Plant serves Central El Paso and Fort Bliss. The wastewater is cleaned and discharged to the Rio Grande to enhance the ecosystem when river water is not flowing, and the treated water is discharged to the American Canal to provide farmers downstream with irrigation water.
“The Haskell Plant is the oldest of the EPWater plants, and with the continued stewardship of the plant operations, it is well suited for another century of service,” said John Balliew, EPWater President and CEO. “This plant has been a workhorse for the utility.”
The facility was known as the City Sewage Plant in its early years and then referred to as the Delta Plant for its location on Delta Drive.
In 1974, it was renamed Haskell R. Street Wastewater Treatment Plant after the man who started his career as a chemist and retired in 1974 as the assistant general manager of El Paso Water. Haskell, who served 31 years, set the tone of innovation at EPWater by recognizing early on the need for water conservation, reuse and diversification of sources.
Plant operations began in 1923, in what was considered the outskirts of El Paso at the time along a meandering Rio Grande. Before the wastewater was discharged into the river, El Paso Water treated the raw sewage, years before it was mandated by state and federal regulations.
“This plant is proof of EPWater’s commitment to public health and the environment,” said Dr. Ivonne Santiago, Public Service Board Chair. “Haskell may be 100 years old, but the upgrades it has received make it one of the most innovative plants of EPWater.”
In 1962, Haskell was the first plant to provide reclaimed water to El Paso cemeteries and parks, most prominently Ascarate Park and Ascarate Golf Course.
Throughout the decades, the plant faced challenges of odor control and an uproar from nearby residents, but crucial investments launched innovative projects that would modernize and improve treatment technologies. As a result, odors have dramatically improved and EPWater has plans for more projects in the future.
Plant Superintendent Rick Dominguez accepted a plaque from
President and CEO John Balliew marking the occasion, and he made sure to thank current and former employees for their service to the plant and the community.
“For decades, the Haskell Plant has been staffed by some of the most dedicated men and women who have kept this place running and I am very proud to be part of that work,” Dominguez said.
For more information, see an EPWater feature story
here and a brief documentary
here.