El Paso Water accelerates $12.9m asset reliability program following catastrophic main break

El Paso Water accelerates $12.9m asset reliability program following catastrophic main breakSpurred by a major outage caused by the failure of a 36-inch pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipe, the Texan utility is overhauling its maintenance strategy to predict and prevent future infrastructure failures.

The Public Service Board approved a $12.9 million contract amendment with HDR Engineering to deploy a predictive asset reliability program.

The shift follows a severe 36-inch main break in Northeast El Paso, which a metallurgical analysis attributed to total corrosion of the pipeline.

The utility is also grappling with aging isolation infrastructure, noting that many of its 500 large-diameter valves face operational risks during emergency shutoffs.

Following a successful pilot phase, the utility expects to deliver the reliability program two years ahead of its original 2031 target and under budget.

El Paso Water is overhauling its approach to infrastructure maintenance, accelerating a transition from reactive repairs to predictive asset management following a highly disruptive water main break. At a Public Service Board meeting on April 8, 2026, the utility approved a $12.9 million contract amendment with HDR Engineering for asset reliability program services, plus an additional $1 million for future task orders. The program is designed to monitor and manage the utility's estimated $2.4 billion in assets, establishing standard processes and predictive key performance indicators across all facilities. The urgency of the transition was underscored by a recent 36-inch transmission line break in Northeast El Paso that left roughly 38,000 connections out of service. Gilbert Trejo, vice president over operations and technical services, told the board that a newly completed metallurgical analysis revealed the pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipe failed due to total and complete corrosion, including wall loss and broken wires. The emergency response was further complicated by failing isolation infrastructure. Trejo noted that public water systems typically rely on the most affordable valves, which often fail to seal properly. El Paso Water has over 500 large-diameter valves in its system, and while the utility is expanding its valve exercising program, operating aging valves carries inherent intervention risks. To prevent similar crises, the new HDR-led asset reliability program will comprehensively assess asset conditions and develop proactive maintenance plans. According to Bill DeBoer, an owner's representative from Tuatara consulting on the project, the utility recently completed a pilot phase across four targeted locations. The pilot helped identify unrecorded assets and refine the strategy, allowing the project team to shave two years off the original 2031 completion timeline while coming in under budget. "Reliability drives predictability," DeBoer told the board. "Predictability lowers the cost and increases the uptime of that asset." The board also received a snapshot of the utility's fourth-quarter financials for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Total water billed dropped to 32.4 billion gallons from 34.5 billion gallons the previous year, driving lower-than-expected revenues. Staff attributed the decline to unusually high rainfall—10.8 inches compared to 4.5 inches the prior year—though the revenue shortfall was successfully offset by $13 million in operations and maintenance savings.