The water system at the new William Beaumont Army Medical Center has been fixed and is returning to normal operation a month after a valve failure caused the system to be contaminated with sediment, officials announced.
The water system has been deemed safe after the latest water-quality tests continued to show "no biohazards or pathogens to be concerned about in the water. So the (monthlong) water advisory was lifted Friday afternoon," Amabilia Payen, a Beaumont spokesperson said Monday morning.
That came after a high-velocity flush of the water system was done May 5 to ensure all sediment had been removed from the system, she said.
However, surgical instruments will continue to be sanitized outside the hospital until temporary bulk water stations are removed and equipment used to sanitize surgical instruments is deemed to be in good condition, Payen said. That process is expected to be completed this week, she said.
More: West El Paso's Montecillo continues growing with $80 million in new apartment construction
This is the latest problem to plague the $1.5 billion Fort Bliss Army hospital complex, which includes medical clinics and a research facility, in far East El Paso. It opened in July after several years of construction problems, resulting in millions of dollars in cost overruns.
It took about two weeks for crews to trace the contamination problem to a valve failure in the hospital's water softener system. That put salty water into the system, causing "limited piping corrosion," resulting in sediment contaminating and discoloring the water, hospital officials reported in mid April.
The hospital suspended elective surgeries and closed its emergency room to trauma patients for 12 days in April until temporary bulk water stations could be installed and arrangements made to have surgical instruments sanitized outside the hospital.
The 135-bed hospital has an average daily census of 50 to 60 patients.
How much the hospital spent on repairing the water system, and related costs were not immediately available, Payen said.
Vic Kolenc may be reached at 546-6421; vkolenc@elpasotimes.com; @vickolenc on Twitter.