El Paso, Texas – January 12, 2026 — A major water main break in Northeast El Paso has prompted widespread school closures and class disruptions for students across multiple districts as city officials continue emergency response efforts. The incident, which occurred late Saturday night, has left tens of thousands of residents with little to no water service and triggered precautionary public safety measures including school cancellations and boil water advisories.
The rupture of a 36-inch water main line near the intersection of Girl Scout Road and Transmountain Road has resulted in approximately 38,000 customer connections losing service, affecting more than 100,000 residents in Northeast and parts of Central El Paso. Officials with El Paso Water described the break as unprecedented in scale due to the complexity of the pipeline design and interconnected smaller distribution lines. A boil water notice remains in effect for many neighborhoods, complicating efforts to resume normal activities.
In response to public safety concerns, the El Paso Independent School District (EPISD) announced closures on Monday for 14 campuses, including Andress High School, Irvin High School and several middle and elementary schools located in the most severely impacted areas.
While some schools in the region have been permitted to reopen under strict precautions, district officials emphasized that water fountains and sinks must be shut off and bottled water provided to students and staff to comply with health guidelines. Several Ysleta Independent School District (YISD) campuses resumed classes with safety protocols in place, while other campuses remain temporarily closed.
Local education authorities have stated that absences due to the outage will be excused for students in affected zones, and close communication with the city’s water utility is ongoing to determine when normal operations and school schedules can fully resume.
Officials with El Paso Water estimate that restoration efforts could continue through the middle of the week as crews work around the clock to repair damaged infrastructure, refill drained reservoirs and stabilize water pressure throughout the city.
