PSB Vote Practically Torpedoes UTEP Centennial Park Water Program

On Wednesday, the PSB didn't exactly say "no" to the Centennial Park Water Reclamation project at UTEP.  However, there was enough skepticism on the Board to hobble the program. 


After lengthy discussion and debate the PSB voted down the motion to approve the University of Texas at El Paso Centennial Park Reclaimed Water Project by appointing CH2M Hill for design services; and authorizing funding through the Commercial Paper Program. PSB Chair and UTEP Engineering Dean Richard Shoephoerster sat stoically throughout the discussion having recused himself from voting and turning the chair to Katherine Brennand.

The motion that did pass came from Mayor Oscar Leeser. This motion approved the project subject to UTEP's splitting the design costs. A second and friendly amendment came from Dr. Rick Bonart. Dr. David Nemir suggested the friendly amendment by insisting that sites for the reclamation project other than UTEP be examined. Dr. Nemir suggested that UTEP students could go anywhere and that the program which uses a Membrane Bioreactor might be better conducted at the Northwest Treatment plant.

The program would seem to be dead as it was obvious that there was a push to have it in place in time for next year's Centennial. Thus the reason for moving to the design phase now. 

Shoephoerster did seem to take it personally (a sign that there was more of a personal investment in this project than the public was being privy to). On the next agenda item he was the sole "no" vote on another reclamation project. Peevishly he expressed that he would never vote for another reclamation project. Guess he is taking his toys and going home.  Guess people got a good look at what this Chairman and Dean are all about.

Again several persons mentioned the need for more Rainwater Harvesting/Low Impact Development studies. Certainly the several inches of rain which have fallen in El Paso the last several days which have resulted in flash flooding underscores the need to do more with LID. Volumes of water everywhere rush down the street and to the river. Little is kept on the ground to recharge our bolsons and water our landscapes. (Besides our landscapes are largely concrete, asphalt and billion year rhyolite rocks that have been gouged out of our mountains.) Our medians are above (not below) street level as are our planters above our parking lots and sidewalks. 

Once again the Chamber of Commerce led by Richard Dayoub led by builders and developers resist any change in the City's Design Manual to make Low Impact Development mandatory. The best that the CPC could recommend to City Council is an optional LID. The item is 10B on next Tuesday's Council agenda. 

Heaven forbid that our builders raking in 400% profits (compared to Austin, TX at 20%) should have to reap less.  They and their mortgage companies and bankers might have to live in homes that are really build for 2 or 3 or 4 people and not palaces for Shahs. Their selfishness only means less water or no water or no city for their grandchildren or the children of their grandchildren. But who cares about them or about the earth?