If you shower, wash your hands or flush in East El Paso, chances are the wastewater travels through miles of underground pipes to the Roberto Bustamante Wastewater Treatment Plant, which can treat up to 39 million gallons per day.
“We are at a point in time in which the plant is very near capacity in the amount of wastewater it takes in,” said David Ornelas, Wastewater Systems Division Manager. “When a plant reaches 75% of its capacity, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality mandates a plan for expansion.”
Upgrading and expanding the Bustamante plant will improve the wastewater treatment processes, reduce odors and increase the plant’s capacity, extending its lifespan by 30 years.
The costs to perform the upgrades and expansion of the Bustamante Plant are estimated at $730 million over five years, making it one of the largest capital improvement projects ever undertaken by the utility.
Headworks improvements and facility upgrades
The Bustamante Plant, located along the Rio Grande in El Paso’s Mission Valley, opened in 1991. It treats wastewater and returns reclaimed water to the Riverside Canal. Much of the reclaimed water helps with downstream irrigation needs and sustains the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park and its habitat.
The treatment process begins when wastewater arrives at the headworks of the Bustamante Plant. Now under construction, the headworks improvements are crucial for odor control and maintaining a stable flow of wastewater.
“Wastewater flows have not increased dramatically in the last 10 years because of conservation, but waste that gets sent down the drains has continued to increase,” Ornelas said. The increase is attributed to the growing population of the city’s East Side.
The expansion project will allow for the treatment of an additional 12 million gallons of wastewater per day. Upgraded aeration basins will remove more contaminants to produce higher quality reclaimed water. Additional primary and secondary clarifiers will be installed, which help polish the water after it is biologically treated.
The headworks improvements and expansion of the plant are expected to be completed by 2025 and 2026, respectively.
Future benefits
Expanding the Bustamante Plant will not only provide reliable wastewater services to a growing community but will contribute to a sustainable water future for the city.
“The Bustamante Plant will provide source water to the Advanced Water Purification Facility that will be built next door,” Ornelas said.
The Advanced Water Purification Facility will take in treated wastewater from the Bustamante Plant and purify it with an additional multistep treatment process. The purified water will be sent directly into the distribution system, producing up to 10 million gallons of fresh drinking water per day. When river water is in very short supply, the facility will help meet the demands of homes and businesses.
“This plant expansion will help accommodate population growth and deliver on both water and wastewater needs in our area through 2050,” Ornelas said.