WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS RECEIVE PEAK PERFORMANCE AWARD News Release Contact: Christina Montoya, Vice President-Marketing and Communication 915-594-5596 (office), e-mail: cmontoya@epwu.org Date: July 25, 2011 EL PASO – Discharges from two EPWU wastewater treatment plants are consistently among the cleanest in the country, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies announced Wednesday, July 20. The Northwest Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Fred Hervey Water Reclamation Plant received NACWA's Platinum Peak Performance Award at the association's annual meeting in Chicago. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issues permits that require discharges of treated wastewater to meet certain standards in accordance with the Clean Water Act. NACWA's Peak Performance Awards recognize facilities for outstanding compliance with the permit limits. According to the association, the Northwest Wastewater Treatment Plant, located at Interstate Highway 10 and Executive Center Boulevard in West El Paso, has met state and federal clean water standards without an instance of failure for 12 years. EPWU's Fred Hervey Water Reclamation Plant in far Northeast El Paso has met the guidelines 100 percent of the time for five years. Each day, the two plants pump millions of gallons of reclaimed wastewater into purple pipes for irrigation at locations including Coronado Country Club, Painted Dunes Desert Golf Course and Northeast Regional Park. Additionally, reclaimed water from the Fred Hervey plant is used in cooling towers at El Paso Electric's Newman Power Plant. The Fred Hervey plant treats wastewater to drinking water standards before using it to recharge the Hueco Bolson Aquifer. The Northwest plant returns nine million gallons of treated wastewater to the Rio Grande each day. "I feel that all the employees out here do their part and them some … every day to ensure the environment is kept in a safe, clean state," said Northwest Plant supervisor Alfredo Murillo. EPWU supplies golf courses, city parks, school grounds, apartment landscapes, construction and industrial sites with more than 5.83 million gallons per day of reclaimed water. Though reclaimed water use has been proven safe by the Texas Commission on Environment Quality, it is not used as a direct source of El Paso's drinking water.