CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Residents living near the Nueces River west of Calallen are sounding the alarm over Corpus Christi’s emergency water wells, saying the city’s efforts to boost its supply is putting their wells and the river at risk.
Dan Brodhag lives just feet from one of eight wells recently drilled along a two-mile stretch of the river. The wells draw water from the Evangeline Aquifer and release some of it back into the Nueces, but Brodhag says that hasn’t protected local wells.
“I don't even think any studies have been done, they just started poking holes and running these wells,” Brodhag said.
Brodhag's concern is shared by Kelly Harlan and Trey Cranford, who launched the Facebook page Stop Draining Our Lakes in 2016. The duo is now focusing their attention on groundwater, and on Sept. 2 petitioned the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to create the first-ever groundwater conservation district in Nueces County — a move they say is long overdue.
“It’s not right for the big guy to come in with a big straw and take the water from these residents,” Harlan said.
They’re also worried about how much the city plans to pump.
“I think it’s reckless,” said Harlan. “Our managed available groundwater is 6,700 acre-feet, and the city is planning on taking 43,000 acre-feet”
Increased salinity readings and falling water levels are already being recorded by the group, which has conducted its own water testing in the area.
“Water is becoming a commodity in Texas, and it’s going to whoever the highest bidder is,” Cranford said. “With a GCD in place, it helps regulate and protect the aquifer.”
Brodhag says the stakes are more than environmental — they’re personal.
“Water wells are the only source of water we have,” he said. “So you’re talking about drying up an entire county.”
The TCEQ is currently reviewing the group's petition for a Nueces County groundwater conservation district. They say it could take 30 to 60 days before they hear back. If approved, the final decision would go to voters living within the proposed boundaries of the district..
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