How El Paso Uses Advanced Tech To Catch And Stop Water Polluters

A mysterious pollutant was swirling beneath the streets in one corner of El Paso.

Our everyday utility monitoring revealed that high levels of heavy metals – mercury, copper, nickel and aluminum – were flowing through local sewers into one of our four wastewater plants. This was a troubling discovery. 

Because we live in the Chihuahuan Desert, every drop of water is precious. For our city to grow and prosper, we increasingly must purify and recycle water whenever possible. Industrial pollution in our wastewater threatens our health and increases water treatment costs for the rest of our law-abiding citizens.

At many US water utilities, the discovery of unauthorized discharges into sewer systems can lead to long and expensive investigations and litigation. Who is the polluter? It’s not always an easy question to answer. Fortunately, though, El Paso Water already embraced an advanced technology that allowed us to track the pollution to its source – a jewelry manufacturer just off Interstate 10.