SINTON, Texas — City leaders and residents in Sinton are weighing in on the potential $840 million Evangeline groundwater project, raising concerns about demand and cost.
On Monday, Aug. 18, the Corpus Christi City Council approved a draft agreement for a $169 million groundwater deal. The proposed plan would draw water from the Evangeline Aquifer in San Patricio County. Initially, the project would deliver up to 12 million gallons per day, with the potential to double to 24 million gallons.
At the following council meeting on Tuesday, a city report estimated the project’s total cost at about $840 million, including infrastructure and $169 million in water rights.
During that meeting, Sinton City Manager John Hobson shared his stance on the deal with Corpus Christi city leaders.
"Based upon my comments and just watching as I spoke, I felt dismissed," Hobson told KRIS 6.
Hobson said he was frustrated that Sinton had not been included in Evangeline discussions before Corpus leaders moved forward. "We have not been involved in this deal at all. We have not been contacted about this deal," Hobson said. "We would love to have been asked or inserted. Instead, we got caught off guard by Corpus with them doing this basically without our knowledge."
The City of Sinton does not receive water from Corpus Christi, relying instead on groundwater wells and the San Patricio County aquifer. "Our concerns are the fact that the City of Corpus Christi wants to pump 25 million gallons a day without scientific documentation of how that's going to impact the aquifer," Hobson said.
"We are managing water for our residents. We're not concerned with how others receive their water," he added. "Our job is to take the water that we receive, manage it in a responsible manner and provide it to our residents."
Resident Antonio Garza told KRIS 6 News that his biggest concern is higher water prices. "When I got that thing on my email, I started thinking that we have to do something because if not they're going to raise up the prices for us, and we're already paying too much," Garza said. "We're paying $30 just for the meter itself, use it or don't use it."
"The water in a hot season like this, you waste a lot of water, and I hope that if they (City of Corpus Christi) come in, I just hope that they give us a reasonable price."
When asked about alternative sources of water, Hobson pointed to the Gulf of Mexico. "How they do that and what science they use to do that, that is all upon them, but pulling groundwater is not the solution for Corpus Christi."
Updates on alternative water sources are on the agenda for Tuesday’s Corpus Christi City Council meeting.
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