SINTON, Tx — The Evangeline Aquifer, a critical piece of the City of Corpus Christi’s alternative water plan, received a positive update from the San Patricio County Groundwater Conservation District on Friday. However, the update comes with a catch.
As lake levels continue to decline, Corpus Christi Water hopes the aquifer will be pumping 12 million gallons of water per day before the November curtailment deadline.
To meet that deadline, several projects must move forward within what officials described as a “razor-thin” margin of error.
“So long as it continues to move along the process so that we will be in a position to be able to get the permits by Feb. 6, it keeps the project moving on schedule,” Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni told KRIS 6 News.
Those permits were submitted by the city prior to a two-month moratorium passed by the district in December. They are expected to be administratively completed by Thursday, Jan. 22. However, the public will have 10 days to submit a protest against any permit, which would be heard on Feb. 6.
Zanoni and Corpus Christi Water interim Chief Operating Officer Nick Winkelmann said delays beyond Feb. 6 would jeopardize the project timeline.
“It is imperative that our permits that were submitted ahead of the moratorium be approved by Feb. 6,” Winkelmann told board members during public comment. “Otherwise, the schedule for the Evangeline will be delayed, and we won’t be able to make a partial delivery date by November of 2026.”
Zanoni added, “If the permits are delayed much beyond Feb. 6, that means the project doesn’t start, and then the end date of trying to get water beginning in November won’t happen. That increases the risk that the region will go into curtailment.”
Curtailment occurs when the water supply system reaches 180 days from the point at which total water supply would no longer meet total water demand.
“The unfortunate truth is we’re in this position today because of decades of neglect and bad decisions,” Zanoni said. “So the work we’re doing today is not only to get us through this drought, but to set up a system so we don’t have to go through this again.”
As KRIS 6 News reported in October, Corpus Christi needs 60 million gallons of new water per day before November to avoid a Level 1 water emergency.
The city’s emergency wells along the Nueces River are producing about 11 million gallons per day, with another 17 million gallons expected by next year. The water is brackish, saltier than normal, and is only meant as a temporary solution.
The Evangeline project could account for 24 million gallons per day, while reclaimed water could add about 16 million gallons daily by recycling treated wastewater for industrial use.
On Tuesday, Corpus Christi leaders learned the city’s water supply is operating with little margin for error as lake levels continue to fall. The update showed Lake Texana is already below last year’s levels. Projections indicate the reservoir could drop to about 50% capacity by early spring, while water supply and demand are expected to remain closely matched for months.
When it comes to Evangeline, in August the council approved a draft agreement for a $169 million groundwater deal. The proposed plan would draw water from the Evangeline Aquifer. At the following council meeting, a city report estimated the project’s total cost at about $840 million, including infrastructure and $169 million in water rights.
The next meeting of the San Patricio County Groundwater Conservation District is scheduled for Friday, February 6 at the Emergency Operations Center in Sinton.
WATCH THE FULL MEETING AND DISCUSSION ON EVANGELINE:
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