SINTON, Tx — A more than five-hour preliminary hearing in Sinton focused on challenges to the drilling and transportation permits for the Evangeline Groundwater Project.
The project would provide the city of Corpus Christi with up to 24 million gallons of water per day. The hearing was held to determine if those who have filed protests against the project have legal standing to challenge the drilling and transportation permits.
The main opposition comes from the city of Sinton and the St. Paul Water Supply Corporation. They were joined at Tuesday's hearing by some local farmers and the general manager of the San Patricio County Groundwater Conservation District.
Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni attended the hearing and said to Neighborhood news reporter Stephanie Molina the project is needed to hold off a Level 1 water emergency.
"Our job is to try to get this groundwater in production," Zanoni said. "This county that we're in uses 40 million gallons of water a day that comes from Corpus Christi Water, that comes from four other counties other than San Patricio County, so this water would be very beneficial to the industry, the cities and communities that are here in San Patricio County."
Backers of the Evangeline project argued that the spacing of the proposed wells will be enough distance from the protesters' wells to satisfy their concerns.
The administrative law judge who heard from both sides will write a detailed ruling within the next 10 business days.
