THREE RIVERS — Three Rivers city leaders approved the first steps on Monday, April 13th, to apply for a grant through the Texas Water Development Board to build a new water well and address the ongoing drought.
City Administrator Thomas Salazar said the city uses more than one million gallons of water per day. At last check, the Choke Canyon Reservoir is at just over 7 percent capacity.
"We want to secure as much as we can. We want to make sure that we get enough funding to make sure that we get everything correct in the process so that we don't have to worry about any more water situations," Salazar said.
The grant would fund improvements to water infrastructure and pipes.
"It would give us the third option of using groundwater. Our first one was Choke Canyon, then the Frio is the second one. We do have one other water source with the water well out there in McMullen County. And this would provide us another additional water well," Salazar said.
Mayor Felipe Q. Martinez said the time to find long-term solutions is now.
"I had on an old man tell me one time 'one of these days water is going to be more important than gasoline,'" Martinez said.
Earlier this month, city leaders also signed an agreement with the Nueces River Authority for Harbor Island. Following recent allegations against the director of the Nueces River Authority, city officials addressed the timing of the agreement.
"Of course, we had done all this before this came to light. We just want to make sure we have a straw in the pipeline," Salazar said.
City leaders are moving quickly, with the grant application open now through July. Officials said they are confident the state will recognize the urgent need and want to ensure there is water in Three Rivers for the next 100 years.
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