Contact UsEl Paso Water
Strategic move to safer, more cost-effective stormwater management with mini loaders
Written by William Nicholls | July 1st 2025
Keeping stormwater systems clear and safe isn’t glamorous. It’s tough, dirty, and risky work.
El Paso Water knows this firsthand, managing miles of waterways clogged with everything from old tires and mattresses to thick sediment.
Traditional clearing methods involved big crews, manual labor, and hours spent in tight, dangerous spaces. They knew there had to be a better way.
Originally built for tough industrial jobs—cleaning alumina dust in aluminum plants under harsh conditions—Movex Innovation’s mini loaders, known as MINIDOZER, seemed promising. Compact, robust, and remotely operated, a next-generation mini loader offered El Paso Water a way to rethink stormwater cleanup.
Client background: Progressive thinking at El Paso Water
Serving nearly 700,000 residents, El Paso Water manages crucial water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. Driven by their forward-thinking 10-year Strategic Plan, the company constantly seeks innovative solutions to deliver safer and more efficient services. Their approach? Modernize, innovate, and never settle for “the way it’s always been done.”
The challenge: Outdated methods and serious risks
Clearing waterways to prevent flooding used to mean sending a six-person crew, armed with shovels and wheelbarrows, deep into confined culverts and pipes. The work was tedious, costly, and dangerous. Workers often had to navigate cramped spaces with limited visibility and air quality risks.
Alan Shubert, VP of Operations and Technical Services, emphasized that relying on traditional methods simply wasn’t sustainable, prompting the need for innovative solutions.
The solution: Enter the MINIDOZER
El Paso Water’s solution came in the form of Movex Innovation’s MINIDOZER, a compact, remote-controlled machine designed to navigate and clear debris from tight, confined areas effortlessly.
At less than two feet tall and equipped with high-definition front and rear cameras, the MINIDOZER, operated via a joystick remote that resembles a video game controller, greatly simplified the stormwater cleaning process.
Although there was a short learning curve initially, workers quickly adapted to operating the MINIDOZER. Instead of crawling into tight spaces, crews now use remote-operated cameras to monitor progress from a safe distance. This change substantially boosted safety, speed, and operational efficiency.
The results: Cleaner, safer, and cheaper operations
The impact was immediate. Jobs previously requiring six workers now need just three, cutting labor costs. Set-up times dropped to under 10 minutes, compared to hours previously spent preparing manual techniques. Plus, with an eight-hour battery life, the MINIDOZER tackled jobs nonstop, moving half-ton loads of debris in minutes.
The results represent a huge step forward for El Paso Water. Each year, the team continue to improve their stormwater management capabilities, becoming even more proactive in flood prevention. The MINIDOZER significantly contributed to this ongoing progress, ensuring teams remain safer, more productive, and cost-effective.
Conclusion: A Strategic Win for El Paso Water
By adopting the MINIDOZER, El Paso Water didn’t just modernize. It transformed the very nature of stormwater management. It turned risky, costly, and cumbersome manual labor into a secure and streamlined operation.
The result isn’t just cleaner waterways; it’s improved worker safety, smarter use of city funds, and a clear demonstration of how investing in technology innovation pays off.
Ready to modernize your stormwater operations?
Discover how remote-controlled solutions like the MINIDOZER are transforming stormwater management.
