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California company to develop water transmission plan Thursday, July 24, 2003 Charles K. Wilson El Paso Times The Public Service Board, accepting a committee recommendation, on Wednesday selected consulting engineers Brown and Caldwell to develop plans for the Northeast Loop 375 Groundwater and Surface Supply Transmission Facilities. The board voted 4-1, with Mayor Joe Wardy dissenting to the recommendation by the Architect/Engineer Selection Advisory Committee. The committee, which includes PSB member Richard O. Martinez, rated Brown and Caldwell first among nine firms. Brown and Caldwell is based in Mountain View, Calif., and has an El Paso office with 10 engineers. The project, which will be the center point of an effort to move water through lines along Highway 375 to Trans Mountain Road as well as other parts of the city, will cost about $3 million to $4 million to build, said Ed Archuleta, general manager of El Paso Water Utilities. Brown and Caldwell will get about 10 percent of the project cost, Archuleta said. Along with his presentation on the Loop 375 project! , Archuleta told the water board that the U.S. House has ! included $7 million more for the joint city-Fort Bliss desalination plant. That money will not be official until Congress approves a fiscal 2004 budget. Also, Archuleta said, the city will need to import water to meet future demands. The favored location for the desalination plant -- off Montana Avenue on Fort Bliss -- and the Loop 375 project, he said, would have the city's infrastructure ready once the board decides to bring water from outside pipelines. Charles K. Wilson may be reached at cwilson@elpasotimes.com
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