EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Water from Elephant Butte made its way to the Rio Grande in El Paso. El Paso Water celebrated the release and said it will use the river water throughout the summer.

“In addition to having this additional source of water, it’s all about saving the aquifer. And when we have the river water available, there’s really nothing more important than that,” said Gilbert Trejo, the Vice President of Operations for El Paso Water.

Trejo said the utility will integrate the river water into tanks for customers to use for the summer instead of ground water.

The water will go through a treatment process. The goal is to save ground water usage for the winter months when the river is dry.