Solving the Stormwater Problem

In July 2007, the City Council approved the ordinance that would transfer management and operation of El Paso’s stormwater system to the Public Service Board. The new stormwater utility began operating in March 2008, and we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished in the first year.

We’re catching up on long-deferred maintenance, and we’ve completed projects to correct system deficiencies. We’ve also developed a city-wide master plan to significantly reduce flooding over the next 10 years. These achievements were accomplished because of EPWU employees who work tirelessly to protect El Paso’s citizens and their property from flood damage.

We’re working all over the city, and the signs of progress are everywhere. Here are the top 10 reasons why EPWU’s expertise and dedicated funding are good for El Paso’s stormwater system.

1. We know water. For decades, we've provided water, wastewater and reclaimed water service with internationally recognized expertise.
2. Stormwater fees are used only for stormwater system maintenance and improvements. They cannot be used for any other purpose.
3. These fees provide us with a dedicated source of funding that allows us to increase stormwater facility maintenance and launch an aggressive capital improvement program.
4. We’ve increased the employees and equipment dedicated to stormwater maintenance. Crews are strategically located throughout the city and can be rapidly dispatched to any location.
5. We won't stop working. We completed more than 1,200 maintenance projects in our first year of operation and we anticipate completing many more this year.
6. We're proactive. We've catalogued our stormwater assets into a database that schedules preventive maintenance projects and expedites our response to service requests.
7. We've completed the city's first stormwater master plan. It has been approved by the Public Service Board and the City Council, and stormwater improvements are being designed.
8. We move quickly when implementing capital projects. Without dedicated funds, stormwater projects were sometimes deferred for a decade or more.
9. Our water and wastewater projects are completed on time and under budget. You’ll see similar results with our stormwater projects.
10. The 15 projects we'll implement during the first three years of the Stormwater Capital Improvement Program will address more than 50 percent of the city's flood risk.