Alice city leaders extended a local disaster declaration on Tuesday, April 21, as severe drought conditions continue to impact the Coastal Bend and neighboring communities look to the city for water.
The city initially issued the disaster declaration on April 14 as officials weighed the ongoing drought crisis. Alice Mayor Cynthia Carrasco told me the declaration is essential if additional wells need to be built.
"It has verbiage in there that the governor has given us to be able to work through any if we have the need to work with some of the permitting. Just fast-tracking some of those things," Carrasco said.
Carrasco told KRIS 6 News a third well would help maintain the water supply if the lakes run dry. Currently, Alice is operating a brackish desalination plant that began running with one well in June of last year.
"The other half still coming from Lake Findley which of course gets its majority of its water from Lake Corpus Christi. And we’re 30 to 45 days out from getting the second well online," said Alice City Manager Michael Esparza.
With reservoir levels critically low, the pressure to manage water supplies extends beyond Alice. Neighboring cities, including Orange Grove and Agua Dulce, have approached Alice to discuss water resources. Esparza told me the city does not plan to become a regional water provider, but officials want to help since they are in a position to do so.
"We worry about the other cities around us, as well, because they haven’t - they might not be as far as we are on our process. We got started real early. We got started before there was a drought. And that’s why we’re where we are," Esparza said.
City officials credited the prior administration for forward-thinking plans that ensure Alice can continue supplying water to its residents for years to come.
"Long range planning, terms, what not, has to be done. The plan that the city has put in seems to be working. I know there’s a lot of people that have concerns," community member Charlie Ragland said.
"The water issue is major. We cannot live without water. We have to have portable water," Ragland said.
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