[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6134666,"mediaKeyId","5679177-14a885721273975e5e0de010ed725144","parentId",5679177,"title","City staff brief council on multiple water supply projects as reservoirs remain low","audioSeconds",1290,"startMs",2673000,"endMs",3963000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5679177-14a885721273975e5e0de010ed725144&start=2673&end=3963","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5679177-14a885721273975e5e0de010ed725144/thumbnail_2673000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6134666/Texas/City-staff-brief-council-on-multiple-water-supply-projects-as-reservoirs-remain-low","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6134666-7d12b7759bf6c09d6cdcc922a717b441/orig.mp4?Expires=1770718506&Signature=dF7D1vFo1cw4MQ9Jz5JcA3xljOnP~juQtTRufcIKuduCCNruEZT0CM~~l0zAo~DM-3AZS6h3vf7ozHF7Y-wplKtEHew4rdvkJcAc78svtMmhZ80dBz4XhjhpxlkztzpDWz-UZvhW01q7Q3Vhh9wSIr0Q3V4dZfwETZz4s8MzmGgmcPXwMdxjIFSI4SnbJgxUB07pX31FJPhxJD9oYjtUa-myq5J44NyYh-wbnFrpPidF9fLsuVB0TORfOKL08ib4cFEhrM1rrTqNR6mTNEDFnkjp~H3rYUcYeThbfR-mwcM2TBZzJvyMH9aJxiFOjX5bf200lSfLvCiw8sKC2ndNew__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Corpus Christi","date","2025-08-27T00:40:09Z","article","City staff briefed the City Council on a suite of short‑, mid‑ and long‑term water supply projects as the city’s Western reservoirs continue to decline.

Drew Molly, a city water systems presenter, and Nicholas (Nick) Winkelmann, director of water systems, told the council that the city is already discharging groundwater into the Nueces River through the Eastern well field and that drilling and testing are underway for a Western well field. “Water now,” Molly said when describing phase‑1 operations; staff reported they were discharging roughly 5–7 million gallons per day into the river as of the presentation.

Key near‑term details presented to council:
- Eastern well field: staff reported eight production wells nearly completed and a TCEQ bed‑and‑banks discharge permit awarded in early August; hydrogeologic review so far supports a sustainable long‑term yield of about 11 million gallons per day (MGD) from the Eastern wells under monitored pumping conditions.
- Western well field: a test well has been pumped and analyzed; the hydrogeologist’s modeling suggests a potential short‑term output as high as 27 MGD but a more conservative sustainable yield of about 17 MGD; staff said the Western field could require roughly 12 production wells if fully developed.
- Funding and costs: city staff reported roughly $18 million in project costs incurred to date and noted a $30 million state grant awarded to support the drilling and initial work on the Nueces well project. Molly and Winkelmann said full development of the Western/Eastern well fields and a brackish reverse‑osmosis (RO) treatment and conveyance system to the Owen Stevens site are conceptually estimated at about $350 million, with a possible completion target around 2028 if the council pursues a large RO pipeline and plant.

On longer‑range projects and partners, staff updated the council:
- Evangeline groundwater project: staff said the city has received an offer on water rights (cited in presentation as $169 million) and that capital costs to construct conveyance and supporting infrastructure to tie Evangeline into the Mary Rhodes pipeline were estimated by project engineers at roughly $200 million for a 12‑MGD build; the Evangeline plan is scalable to 24 MGD and a peer review produced an overall conceptual estimate near $640 million for larger capacity; project timeline cited by staff was in the 2029 range.
- Nueces River Authority / Inner Harbor seawater project: staff described the NRA Harbor Island public‑private approach, a permit package filed with the federal Army Corps and a TCEQ discharge permit application; permit timelines were shown in the packet as 2029–2032. Staff said reservation options exist, including a nonrefundable annual reservation fee (staff cited a $821,000 annual reservation figure for a 30‑MGD reservation as presented by the NRA); staff emphasized that such reservation payments would be nonrefundable and would need to be renewed annually until delivery.

Staff presented a water‑supply dashboard projecting combined reservoir storage under conservative precipitation assumptions. With no additions, staff modeled Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon reservoir storage falling to zero in May 2027. The dashboard showed that adding the Eastern and Western well field yields could push that date to May 2029; adding a 30‑MGD Inner Harbor supply in models produced a projection in which the Western reservoirs were no longer the limiting factor.

Council questions focused on yield, sustainability and permitting. Councilmember Caitlin Paxson asked how the hydrogeologist derived the difference between short‑term pumped volumes and sustainable yields; Molly and the hydrogeologist’s summary explained that monitoring wells and drawdown data informed sustainable pumping assumptions and that further drilling and monitoring may change those numbers. Nick Winkelmann noted the city’s temporary bed‑and‑banks permit for the Eastern wells is currently a short‑term approval (three years) and staff intends to apply for a permanent right to secure the discharge and increase legal certainty.

Staff also reviewed parallel efforts: meetings with Evangeline and project sponsors, a CC Polymers project meeting, work with the Nueces River Authority and Garver consultant peer review, continued work on effluent reuse concepts, and discussions with the South Texas Water Authority. Staff described next steps including upcoming stakeholder meetings and a September 23 briefing on South Texas Water Authority progress.

Ending: Staff characterized the well drilling program as an immediate source of water while the city evaluates longer‑term options, and promised ongoing monitoring and further technical reports to the council; councilmembers asked staff to continue to provide weekly updates and detailed hydrogeologic material for public review.

Quotes used in this article come from the council meeting transcript and are attributed to the speakers listed in the speaker roster.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Corpus Christi | City Council Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Staff reported active well drilling that is discharging millions of gallons daily, state grant funding, hydrogeologist findings on sustainable yields, and conceptual treatment/pipeline costs; Evangeline and Inner Harbor projects remain options with multi‑year timelines.","taxTitle","City Council, Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas","taxId",77669,"location","Texas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6134671,"City Council adopts 20% minimum reserve policy for FY2026 budget",2112,521000,2633000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5679177-14a885721273975e5e0de010ed725144&start=521&end=2633","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5679177-14a885721273975e5e0de010ed725144/thumbnail_521000.jpg","/articles/6134671/Texas/City-Council-adopts-20-minimum-reserve-policy-for-FY2026-budget","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6134671-51b23f2a536da934b159b037a3f7afb7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770718506&Signature=HXjJpr-1IuoPFQBbqM3GGWdU7qr693xVvA6Hts-3UN-CG-YQHkFt3tyWlrwLGHhtWkMU-Aum1k~C2B00YcDvF1JHU9IOX1HHxFJnFFpWuk1eviTPVi2RMLRghJwkDECHR~WiqDqmOh1c4AhLO4UfkFQkFb23INq-xqoM726GEK3PTf8LZE03KLF9i698o1tw2HcF5esvk9iBrc2xmlL7Zng0qX3e2AYiDOn~xm7Sybzsap7QLBs81ioA~plKQYAekpDigituuX4tSAHAA815RBz0u6juurX-mC1nyh9mC2JWxElZKC00oG3~WjBh0WMjRDveRXl~5XqrWfz6kM7E0A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City Council voted to adopt a resolution setting a 20% minimum unassigned general fund reserve to guide preparation of the FY2026 operating and capital budgets.

City finance director Sergio Villasana presented the item at the council meeting, describing fund balance terminology and saying the proposed policy would set a 20% floor so the city can fund a “reserve for major contingencies.” He told the council that financial advisors recommended a minimum equivalent to roughly two months of operating expenses and a target in the 20–25% range; he concluded publicly: “I would recommend what we recommended is to go to the 20%.”

The policy matters because an unassigned fund balance is the principal local mechanism cities use to respond to revenue shortfalls, storm damage and other emergencies without immediate cuts or borrowing. Villasana told the council that maintaining 20% would equate to about 73–75 days of operation under current spending levels. “Yes. That’s correct,” Villasana said when asked whether 20% equaled roughly 75 days of operating funds.

Council members pressed staff on whether the policy should include an explicit restoration plan if the reserve fell below the minimum. Councilmember Caitlin Paxson noted the financial advisers recommended “a plan to replenish,” and asked where a restoration trigger would appear in the draft policy. Villasana acknowledged the city had not formalized written restoration language but said corrective actions would include reduced spending and that staff could add wording to require a restoration plan in the subsequent budget if reserves drop below the floor.

Several council members discussed whether to adopt a range (17–20%) or a single-number floor (20%). Supporters of a range said it would allow some flexibility—e.g., to fund a small, one‑time pilot sidewalk project—while proponents of a single 20% floor argued higher reserves are viewed favorably by rating agencies and provide more protection for the city. Councilmember Everett Roy and others emphasized the difference between large and small capital needs and favored a clear restoration trigger.

After debate, a motion was made to adopt option 1 (set the unassigned fund balance floor at 20%). There was no roll-call vote recorded in the audio transcript; the mayor pro tem declared the motion passed.

The council also approved the consent agenda (items 1–5) by voice vote earlier in the meeting.

The adopted policy will be used in preparing the FY2026 budget; staff told the council they would return with any redline language to add an explicit restoration trigger and with longer-term goals (council discussed a multiyear goal of ultimately reaching 25%).

Notes: the transcript did not record a roll‑call tally for the motion to adopt the 20% floor. The motion was presented as “option 1” (staff‑recommended 20% minimum) and the mayor pro tem declared the motion passed.

Ending: Council directed staff to proceed using the 20% unassigned fund balance floor for FY2026 budget development and to prepare language for a restoration plan to present with the next budget cycle.","Council voted to adopt staff-recommended financial policy setting an unassigned general fund floor of 20% for FY2026, with discussion about restoration triggers and a possible long‑term 25% goal.","actionData","errors"]

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City staff brief council on multiple water supply projects as reservoirs remain low

City Council adopts 20% minimum reserve policy for FY2026 budget