A TCEQ 210E authorization in 10 weeks let a 1.0 MGD mixed-use development in San Marcos bypass a discharge permit and its hearings.
1.0 MGD zero-discharge reuse for a mixed-use development
Where we work
Water and wastewater engineering in 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.
Projects
Work in Texas.
A 2.0 MGD 210E reuse authorization in 4 weeks, about 23 months faster than a discharge permit.
2.0 MGD wastewater reuse authorization for a mixed-use development
A TCEQ 210E reuse authorization, approved within 6 weeks of submission, let an industrial site in Taylor, Texas, start operations on schedule after the county denied septic.
Industrial zero-discharge reuse in Taylor, TX, approved within 6 weeks of submission
A TCEQ 210E reuse authorization in 4 weeks kept a Taylor, Texas, business park on schedule after the county denied septic.
Business park reuse after a county septic denial in Taylor, TX
Four miles of waterline moved clear of TxDOT IH-20 work while Bitter Creek customers kept water service.
Bitter Creek Water Supply IH-20 waterline relocation
MES delivered the grading and drainage plans for a new single-family home in Texas, from the topographic survey to the final set.
Grading and drainage plan for a new single-family home in Texas
Talk to an engineer
Tell us about your project
An engineer reads it
Not a salesperson. Someone who can tell you whether the pathway is real.
You get a first answer
Your options, the agencies involved and the questions that decide cost and schedule.
You decide
No commitment to have the first call.
Prefer the phone? (214) 833-6748