Rainwater Harvesting Would Make a Better Study for UTEP

An expert hydrologist and engineer gave this analysis of the proposed UTEP reclaimed water project/boondoggle: 

"Because of the large area of buildings, sidewalks, bedrock, run on from the campus arroyo and parking lots relative to the green areas, it is straight forward to meet all of UTEP’s landscape watering needs with stormwater (rainwater harvesting) at a cost that is insignificant relative to the proposed plant. The water would also be of much higher quality (very low TDS). Unless there are some hidden cost savings that haven’t been mentioned this appears to be a product of a) poor economic analysis and b) an outdated concept of the water budget, c) typical El Paso politics. We need to move into the future, not optimize yesterday’s solutions."

TDS by the way stands for Total Dissolved Solids. "A high concentration of TDS is an indicator that harmful contaminants, such as iron, manganese, sulfate, bromide and arsenic, can also be present in the water." [Safe Drinking Water Foundation publication]. Arsenic is an issue in El Paso water and may be more so at UTEP which abuts where ASARCO once belched the element.

The project proposed for UTEP could very well take place at the Bustamante plant and could help the Rio Bosque Wetlands park. The Center for Environmental Resource Management (CERM) at UTEP is tasked with water initiatives and it is the same department that already manages the Rio Bosque, now a part of the EPWU inventory.

Speaking about the Rio Bosque: Is doing something there just talk by the EPWU to calm the savages of the environmental community? PSB member, Dr. Rick Bonart, explained: 

"At the February meeting we talked about the Rio Bosque. A formal motion was made to authorize the President and CEO to design and build a pipeline from Bustamante to Rio Bosque to convey either reclaimed H2O or effluent.

"I asked CEO John Balliew how much and how long to do the project.  The anwser: $440,000 and 6 months.

"At the last PSB meeting call to public a member of the public asked when this would be done and Mr. Balliew said it would be on this month's agenda."

Here's the agenda for this Wednesday. Anyone see anything about the Bosque?

Item 3 is about the so-called UTEP Centennial Project.  This message is making the email rounds:

"This Wednesday the PSB will be deciding to fund a request from UTEP to provide a packaged plant to make reclaimed water on campus for use on the campus. Evidently, UTEP is expecting all the rate payers in El Paso to subsidize this project which is primarily to benefit watering some landscaping at Miner Village, Centennial Plaza,  and for the replacement of grass to the Sun Bowl. This seems like a very elitist and preferential burden for all rate payers. Supposedly it is to be a research project for UTEP, but it will be subsidized not by the University or its system, but by local rate payers. As a research project, this researcher asks, 'What is the hypothesis? What is the need? What are the variables? and What prior research does this come out of.'  Whose idea was this anyway?

"I encourage you to attend the PSB meeting this Wednesday and hear what the justifications are for this? There are too many inconsistencies and lack of community participation for this to slide through."

The regular meeting of the Public Service Board will be held at 8:00 a.m., Wednesday, September 11, 2013, at the Public Service Board Meeting Room, 1154 Hawkins Boulevard, El Paso, Texas. Map

Check out David Crowder's story at the Inc.: Questions about UTEP water plant: PSB member says project is waste of money