BEE COUNTY, Texas — Beeville is in a stage 4 water emergency, and residents want to know what city leaders are doing about it.
The city is spending $36 million on a three-well system — refurbishing two existing 700-foot wells in the Evangeline Aquifer and drilling a new 1,800-foot well into the Jasper Aquifer.
Leah Bellamy, a hair stylist, said the crisis affects her job and daily life.
"If you say you're gonna do it, okay, let's see it. Let's show us the plans, show us the people you hired to make this a thing,"Bellamy said.
I followed up with the city and asked Assistant City Manager Daniel Dorgan what they're doing.
"We have to diversify our water portfolio, and so, you know, unfortunately, surface water is not a reliable long term solution to water," Dorgan said.
The refurbished wells will produce about 1 million gallons per day each, while the new deep well will pump 2 to 2.5 million gallons daily. The city has applied for state grants and loans to help fund the project. Dorgan said having a disaster declaration in place helps speed up the process.
"It helps us with, you know, expediting certain processes and, um, being able to, to, to procure items in a quicker manner," Dorgan said.
Despite the urgency of the situation, Dorgan said residents don't need to panic.
"I don't think there's any cause for concern, just again making sure that you conserve water to the best of their ability," Dorgan said.
All 3 wells are expected to come online in late May. The city said this investment will help secure Beeville's water future forde cades to come.
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