MinerAlert
MinerAlert
PLANT FUNCTION:
The desalination plant uses reverse osmosis to transform brackish water into fresh drinking water. Through a pressurized process, raw water passes through fine membranes that separate salts and other contaminants from the water. Approximately 83 percent of the water is recovered while the remainder is produced as a concentrate. The permeate, or desalted water, is piped to a storage tank for distribution and the concentrate is disposed through deep-well injection.
To learn more about the Kay Bailey Hutchison WTP please visit: https://www.epwater.org/cms/one.aspx?portalId=6843488&pageId=7422402
CE: What projects in the El Paso area have your worked on?
JC: There are standout projects I was heavily involved in here in El Paso that helped increase the water supply in our city. The Fred Hervey Water Plant was the first major state-of-the-art project in the country that took wastewater, cleaned it, and put it back in our drinking water system through an indirect connection with water being injected into the ground and extracted years later. Most recently, I worked on the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Desalination Plant which was unique because it took saltwater and through a desalination process of reverse osmosis, removed the salt to produce fresh water. Another project I directed with great satisfaction brought water and wastewater service to low-income areas in the Lower Valley, San Elizario, Socorro, and Sparks. In the 90's, a lot of those communities were without a public water system or public sewage. With the Texas Water Development Board, I worked on those projects for about ten years, serving about 40,000 people. It was very satisfying that we as an engineering company, Moreno-Cardenas Inc., were instrumental in helping those communities.
Joe Cardenas
Title: Consulting Engineer/ Design/ Project Manager
CE: What projects in the El Paso area have your worked on?
ED: When I was a young engineer, I worked at Fort Bliss. We helped upgrade a lot of the barracks and roadways, built sportplexes, and did a lot of work regarding storm drainage. I was project manager manager for the international airport expansion. We did the expansion to the Civic Center when the Democratic Convention was coming to El Paso, then went private sector and worked on the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Plant. I then jumped over the International Boundary and Water Commission. President Obama appointed me to that position, which was very rewarding. I worked on projects all over the region and in other parts of the international boundary. It took me away from El Paso quite a bit, but my heart is still right here.
Ed Drusina
Title: Construction Manager