Where we work

Water and Wastewater Engineering El Paso, Texas

Water and wastewater engineering in El Paso, TX. MES designs utility extensions, lift stations, treatment and reuse, with EPWater and TCEQ review in mind.

What we do in Texas

What MES does in El Paso

MES designs water and wastewater systems for projects in El Paso and El Paso County. We work for developers, utilities, municipalities and engineering firms.

The work covers water and sewer utility design, lift stations, on-site treatment and reuse, and the site civil plans that tie them together. We also support projects through construction.

Water supply shapes every design here. El Paso Water (EPWater) draws on the Rio Grande and two aquifers, the Hueco Bolson and the Mesilla Bolson. It also runs the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant, which treats brackish groundwater.

EPWater is now building the Pure Water Center. The utility describes it as the nation's first direct-to-distribution water reuse plant.

How permitting and review work in El Paso

Inside EPWater's service area, new public water and wastewater mains go through EPWater Development Services. It reviews the plans against EPWater's specifications. The extension is built under a development agreement and inspected by EPWater.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) sets the state design rules. Public water systems follow 30 TAC Chapter 290. Wastewater collection and treatment follow 30 TAC Chapter 217.

A site that cannot connect needs its own plan. A new plant that discharges needs a TPDES permit from TCEQ. Septic systems fall under 30 TAC Chapter 285. Some sites can reuse treated water under a TCEQ 210E reuse authorization instead.

Sites that disturb an acre or more also need coverage under TCEQ's construction stormwater general permit, TXR150000.

Work nearby

MES is working on a drive-up water kiosk site in El Paso now. It is part of a multi-state kiosk site program where MES prepares the civil site plans and takes them through city review.

Common questions

Can my El Paso site connect to EPWater?

Start with EPWater Development Services. It gives information on water and wastewater availability. If service is there, the extension follows EPWater's rules and a development agreement. If not, MES looks at private treatment or reuse.

Can a site in El Paso County reuse its treated wastewater?

Sometimes. TCEQ's Chapter 210 rules allow reuse of reclaimed water when the site meets them. MES checks the waste streams and the reuse plan before you commit to a path.

Who reviews the water and sewer design?

EPWater reviews public mains in its service area. TCEQ sets the design rules statewide and issues the permits for discharge and reuse.

Talk to an engineer

Tell us about your project.

  1. An engineer reads it

    Not a salesperson. Someone who can tell you whether the pathway is real.

  2. You get a first answer

    Your options, the agencies involved and the questions that decide cost and schedule.

  3. You decide

    No commitment to have the first call.

Prefer the phone? (214) 833-6748

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