Ed Archuleta, El Paso Water Utilities Presentation

1. October 26 – 27, 2011
Ed Archuleta, P.E.
President/CEO

2. Water and Energy Are Closely Linked
Water for Energy
Extraction & Refining Hydropower
Fuel Production
Thermo Electric Cooling
(Ethanol, hydrogen)
Extraction and
Wastewater Treatment
Transmission
Energy Associated Drinking Water
with Uses of Water Treatment
Energy for Water
Source: Paul Reiter / International Water Association

3. Energy for Water/Wastewater
 Over 90% of energy used by EPWU is for water
and wastewater processing
 In 2010, EPWU used more than 178 million
KWH, or enough to supply 30,000 homes
 In 2010, EPWU spent approximately $15 million
on energy

4. Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants
NEW MEXICO
Fred Hervey Water
Upper Valley WTP Franklin Reclamation Plant
Mountains
EL PASO, TEXAS
Military
Reservation
Northwest WWTP j
Airport Kay Bailey Hutchison
Fort Bliss
Desalination Plant
Robertson & Umbenhauer WTP
Haskell Street WWTP
Jonathan Rogers WTP
Ciudad Juárez Roberto R. Bustamante WWTP
WaterMEXICO
Plants
Wastewater Plants

5. Other EPWU Facilities
 171 Wells
 75 Lift Stations
 Numerous booster stations

6. water

7. Water Management
Meeting demand and long-term sustainable
goals through:
 Planning
 Diversified water resources
 Strong conservation program
 Growing reclaimed water system

8. Diversified Resources
Conservation
Reclaimed Water
Groundwater
(Bolsons stable)
Surface Water
(Rio Grande)
Desalination
Water Rights
(East of El Paso)

10. Water Conservation Program
Reduced potable water use through:
 1991 Conservation Ordinance
– establishes landscape watering schedule
– prohibits water-waste
– provides for enforcement
 Tiered rate structure
 Rebates and incentives
 Education

11. Water Conservation Results
Water & Wastewater
In the past 20 years, EPWU has:
Power Costs
 Saved 231 billion gallons of water;
$20
Increased Fuel Costs and enough water to fill the Sun Bowl 6,392
Desalination Facilities times
 Avoided the generation of 924 million
$15 KWH of electricity
Million
 Avoided pumping more than 277
millions gallons of water to produce this
$10 electricity
$5
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010

12. GPCD
Per Capita Consumption
230
220
210
200
190
180
170
Year 2000 Goal: 160 gpcd
160
Year 2010
150 133 gpcd
Year 2010 Goal: 140 gpcd
140
130 Goal for 2020 – 130 gpcd
120
1971
1977
1983
1989
1999
2005
1973
1975
1979
1981
1985
1987
1991
1993
1995
1997
2001
2003
2007
2009
Calendar Year

13. Hueco Bolson Pumping

14. Results of Effective
Conservation and Reuse
Population Billion Gallons

15. desalination

16. Solar Power at the KBH
Desalination Plant
 EPWU is interested in developing alternatives that are
renewable, sustainable and reduce EPWUs carbon
footprint
 El Paso is an ideal location for solar power
 EPWU has retained an engineering firm to evaluate
the different types of technologies available and the
economic feasibility of this project

17. Sustainable Solar Power
Background
 Demand is minimum 500kw
for 1 skid operation up to
2300kw demand for 5 skids or
full production capacity
 Desalination Plant places
peak demand burden on
El Paso Electric grid

18. Benefits of Solar Power
 Reduces peak demands on EPE system grid
 Frees up EPE system capacity
 Reduces critical peak demand charges paid by
EPWU for the plant
 Sustainable, renewable energy source
 Reduction of greenhouse gases

19. reclaimed water

20. Reclaimed Water
Recycled wastewater that has received
advanced treatment to improve its quality
 Uses include landscape
irrigation, industrial processes including
cooling, and construction projects
 Reduces use of potable water during peak
 It takes 12-14% less energy to produce
reclaimed water than potable water for
irrigation

21. Reclaimed Water
 Over 47 miles of pipeline
installed
 2.62 billion gallons
produced in 2010-11
 9.3 million gallons for
construction in 2010-11
 System expansion
underway

22. Volume, MG
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
1,800
2,000
200
400
600
800
1990
1991 P DGC Fred Hervey
Project
1992 EPEC
1993
1994
1995
1996 Coronado CCGC Northwest
Project
1997
1998
1999 Bustamante
VF Jeanswear Project
2000
2001
Fiscal Year
2002
2003
Haskell
2004
Project
2005 Evergreen
1864
Cemetery
2006 Storm 2006
1662
2007 Sports
Complex
2008
1919 1929
2009
1877
Reclaimed Water Demand in El Paso
2010

23. wastewater

24. Digester Gas Co-Generation
 Wastewater plants generate solids (sludge) that are
digested to produce biosolids and gas
 The gas is primarily methane
 Historically EPWU used the gas to generate electricity
 Due to emerging contaminants, that practice stopped
about 20 years ago (also, natural gas in recent years has
been relatively inexpensive)
 The gas is currently flared
 Available new equipment is vastly improved

25. Advanced Reciprocating Engine
Systems Generator

26. Digester Gas Co-Generation
 While treating wastewater, EPWU produces an
average of 229.1 million cubic feet of methane gas
per year
 By scrubbing this gas and using high efficiency
co-generators, EPWU will generate 12.93 million
KWH per year
 This will result in gross electricity savings of
$772,260

27. research

28. CHIWAWA
Consortium for Hi-Technology Investigations in Water and Wastewater
• EPWU, UTEP, Texas A&M Agri-Life Research
Center, NMSU, City of Alamogordo
• Promote research and training programs in salinity
management, inland desalination
technology, concentrate disposal, and water resources
management
• Goal: development of new technologies and
processes to assist the Southwest region and other
parts of the world in developing reliable and
sustainable sources of water

29. Center for Inland Desalination Systems (CIDS)
• UTEP and EPWU to establish nation’s premier center
of excellence for inland desalination and engineering
research and education
• Non-exclusive 5 year Memorandum of Understanding
• Includes strategic plan: business plan, research plan,
education service plan

30. Continuing Research
 El Paso is a living laboratory for water/energy
research
 Problems of being situated in a desert present
enormous opportunities for not only research but
also manufacturing
 EPWU’s contract with the Regional Economic
Development Corporation seeks to recruit
industries to locate here

31. Summary
 Conservation not only conserves water but also
energy
 EPWU will power the desalination plant (the
largest inland plant in the world) with solar
energy
 EPWU is a national leader in sustainable
research

32. October 26 – 27, 2011
Ed Archuleta, P.E.
President/CEO