CRRUA: Upgrade at 2 arsenic treatment plants done

EL PASO, Texas ( KTSM ) — The Camino Real Regional Utility Authority says it has completed a project that is designed to increase the “efficiency” of its arsenic removal process at two of its treatment plants, the utility announced on Friday, Sept. 13.

CRRUA, which provides water and wastewater service to Santa Teresa and Sunland Park, said it has completed its initiative to to replace its “filter media” at two of its arsenic treatment facilities (ATF).

Eric Lopez, a New Mexico-certified Level 4 operator in water and wastewater for CRRUA, reported that filter media replacement was done at the Sunland Park ATF on Sept. 5.

Media filter replacement at the Santa Teresa Industrial Park (STIP) ATF was completed on July 27.

“The overall rehabilitation and filter media change-out project of the Sunland Park and STIP ATFs is now 100 percent complete and both systems are 100 percent operational,” Lopez said.

This is how filter media works, according to contractor working for CRRUA:

“Filter media consists of varying sizes of river rock, sand and anthracite coal,” said Paul Cashion of South Carolina-based C & C Environmental Services that is replacing the filter media. “The media is placed in the filter chambers in layers with the anthracite coal at the top followed by a layer of sand, then varying sizes of river rock. As water flows through the layers of rocks, it loosens the arsenic, trapping it in the sand. The sand is then removed and properly disposed of.”

Cashion said each chamber uses more than 12,000 pounds of sand, about 8,000 pounds of stones and more than 4,000 pounds of anthracite coal.

“Anthracite coal is part of the filtration process. It also helps with the taste of the water and controls odors,” he said.

“The arsenic removal process using this media is equivalent to the way river water is purified in nature as it flows over rock, gravel, and sand,” Cashion said.  “It’s a process used to remove naturally occurring arsenic in treatment facilities across the country.”

In addition to filter media replacement at the Sunland Park ATF, Lopez said header lines were repaired, a three-layer protective coating was applied to the inside of the chambers to help guard against corrosion and tank drains were replaced. Those drains had been identified by the New Mexico Environment Department’s 2023 survery of CRRUA as needing replacement.

CRRUA said it is now 70 percent compliant in correcting deficiencies identified by the State of New Mexico back in December.

Since Jan. 24, CRRUA has passed 12 arsenic water tests, including a New Mexico Environment Department’s quarterly test and CRRUA’s voluntary monthly tests last taken in August 2024.

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