Oct. 29--EL PASO -- The Public Service Board has rehired a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm that it says has helped El Paso Water Utilities receive more than $47 million in grants during the past 10 years.

The board voted 4-0 on Wednesday for a two-year, $352,800 contract with Murray, Montgomery & O'Donnell. The firm has worked for the utility for about 10 years.

Ed Archuleta, president and chief executive officer of the utilities, said it was crucial to have a presence in Washington. Legislative and regulative issues keep getting more complex, and a lobbyist can help El Paso officials keep up, he said.

Mayor John Cook said the same firm has worked for the city administration for the past four years.

"They've done an excellent job," Cook said.

Board Member Fermin Acosta Jr. said the utility was "getting an excellent rate of return" from its lobbyist.

During the past decade, the lobbying firm has helped the utility average nearly $5 million a year in grant money used for water and wastewater projects, Archuleta said.

Perhaps the most noteworthy was nearly $26 million the utility received for construction of a desalination plant at Fort Bliss.

The plant cost $91 million, and has the capacity to transform 27.5 million gallons of salty groundwater into drinkable water every day.

The water utility paid $60.7 million of the project cost, and the Army contributed $3.3 million. The utility also received a $1 million interest-free loan from the state.

Cook said lobbyists

are necessary to help cities and utilities build personal relationships with movers and shakers in Washington.

"I'm certainly no expert on Washington," the mayor said.

Archuleta said the utility will use its lobbyist to pursue funding for energy-conservation projects totaling $10 million.

The utility has already done a feasibility study to use solar power at the desalination plant, and it wants to pursue federal money to make that a reality, he said.

Another possibility is obtaining equipment to take methane gas produced at three sewage plants so it can be converted to electricity to help power those plants.

The utility would also like to obtain a software system to help it use energy more efficiently.

David Burge may be reached at dburge@elpasotimes.com; 546-6126.

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