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City Council approves $28 million groundwater-rights purchase as water supply debate intensifies
Summary
After hours of public comment and council questions over scientific certainty and community impacts, the Corpus Christi City Council approved a $28 million agreement to buy groundwater rights, six wells and easements from ERF Real Estate Inc.; staff says the property could yield up to 15 million gallons per day, provisionally, and is meant to diversify supply amid a regional drought.
The Corpus Christi City Council voted to authorize a $28,000,000 purchase of groundwater rights, six existing wells and pipeline easements from ERF Real Estate Inc., approving a resolution that city staff says will help diversify the region’s strained water portfolio.
Nick Winkelman, interim chief operating officer for Corpus Christi Water, told the council the agreement covers about 2,478.69 acres adjacent to the Western Well Field and conveys existing infrastructure plus the seller’s commitment to drill five additional production wells. Based on current modeling and aquifer tests, Winkelman said the property could provide an estimated 15 million gallons per day (MGD) of raw groundwater — a provisional figure dependent on ongoing testing and model updates by hydrogeologists.
“Every time a well is drilled and an aquifer test is conducted, that data is supplied to Interra to update the model,”…
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