Corpus Christi officials tell Aransas Pass council regional water projects push risk of curtailment years out

Corpus Christi Water officials told the Aransas Pass City Council on Nov. 17 that the Coastal Bend region remains in an extended drought and described a multi‑pronged plan of groundwater wells, wastewater reuse and desalination intended to protect customers from mandatory curtailment.

Peter Zanoni, city manager for the city of Corpus Christi, said the region has been in drought roughly 4½ years and that on a peak summer day the utility may treat or withdraw about 130,000,000 gallons of water. He said the utility has shifted its supply mix so more than about 70% now comes from eastern sources — the Lower Colorado River and Lake Texana — rather than the western reservoirs Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon, both of which are at historic lows.

Nick Winkelman, chief operating officer for Corpus Christi Water, provided project specifics. He said the city has drilled eight wells at an Eastern Well Field that can produce up to 10,000,000 gallons per day and is developing a second (Western) well field near Blunster with a planned maximum of about 12 wells. Together Corpus Christi’s Nueces County groundwater projects would produce roughly 28,000,000 gallons per day, he said. The Evangeline Project in San Patricio County aims for 24,000,000 gallons per day in total, with a phased goal to deliver 12,000,000 gallons per day by November 2026.

Winkelman told the council the state is supporting the well‑field work with a $30,000,000 grant that he said will cover an estimated ~80% of the well‑fields’ cost. He also described an effluent‑reuse effort that targets using about 3,000,000 gallons per day of treated wastewater by November 2026 and an additional 10–13,000,000 gallons per day by December 2027 to offset potable demand.

City staff noted desalination remains a longer‑term option. Zanoni said a fully permitted Harbor Island seawater desalination project could produce 30,000,000 gallons per day and that the city has reserved capacity from regional seawater projects; council members were told those reservation fees would be passed to regional customers at a blended rate under existing contracts with the San Patricio Municipal Water District.

Officials also described a publicly available water‑supply dashboard updated biweekly that shows a projected “level 1 water emergency” — defined by staff as approximately 180 days before supply would not meet demand — forecasted in November 2026 under current assumptions. Winkelman said bringing the Western well field online by May 2026 would push that planning threshold to about May 2027; adding the first phase of Evangeline (12,000,000 gpd) would push it further toward December 2027, contingent on permits, construction schedules and inflows.

Councilmembers pressed officials on potential rate impacts for residents and large industrial users. Staff said large volume users have been moved closer to cost‑of‑service rates in recent years and that state grants and low‑interest financing are expected to limit rate increases, but final customer impacts depend on the engineer’s cost estimate for the Evangeline work and other project costs staff said should be available in mid‑December.

Officials reiterated the limits of short‑term fixes: while conservation, industrial demand reductions and leak detection are important, supply diversification — groundwater, effluent reuse and seawater desalination — is the principal path to long‑term resiliency, they said. The city will continue to update its dashboard and provide weekly memos to the mayor and council.