Alpine declares emergency after failure at Roberts No. 3 well; council authorizes emergency repairs and possible new well

Alpine’s mayor declared an emergency after a mechanical collapse at municipal Well Roberts No. 3 sharply reduced the city’s pumping capacity, and the City Council unanimously authorized the city manager to use emergency procurement rules to repair or replace the well and pursue short-term supply measures.

The mayor told residents the failure “represents an immediate threat to public health and safety” but said water remained safe to drink and staff and well specialists were working to stabilize the system. The council approved invoking Texas Government Code §551.045 and Texas Local Government Code §252.022 to allow emergency contracting, ratify any emergency actions already taken and authorize expenditures needed to protect public health and safety.

City staff and the utilities director outlined options the council could direct immediately. Mike Mas, the city’s utilities director, reported crews were currently getting about 110 gallons per minute from Roberts No. 3, down from roughly 300 gpm a year earlier. Utilities staff said the city’s daily use is about 1.7 to 2.0 million gallons and that Roberts historically provided about 20% of the city’s groundwater capacity.

Public and operational options discussed included attempting a replacement pump that had been ordered and was due the following day; shuttling chlorinated water with permitted tanker trucks to supplement supply to the west side of town; reactivating an out-of-service well (Cartwright) subject to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approval; and immediately expediting drilling of a new well if repairs were not fast enough.

John Skinner, who identified himself during discussion, described casing deterioration at older wells and the limits that placed on how deep crews could safely set pumps, saying, “What happens to metal and water over 70 years? It goes bye-bye.” Staff warned that a collapsed casing could end the use of the existing borehole, making a new well the most reliable long-term option.

Council members pressed staff on costs and trade-offs. One council member noted the Cartwright option could cost as much as 5 cents per gallon in some scenarios — “15 times what we currently pay,” a council member said — and questioned passing that cost to residents. Staff estimated that a new well procured through ordinary bidding could exceed $1 million; expedited emergency procurement could lower that timeline and cost but would still require capital.

Fire-department and emergency-services personnel secured a temporary permit to shuttle potable water and set up round-the-clock tanker schedules as a short-term measure to keep the west side supplied. Staff characterized the truck shuttle as a band-aid, not a long-term solution, and said pumping capacity from other wells is near maximum.

Council members asked the city manager and utilities staff to improve public communications, review PSAs before release, and resume regular reporting on well production and integrity. The city manager said staff would seek a funding-analysis grant (about $60,000 mentioned at the meeting) and return with detailed options.

By the end of the emergency meeting the council voted unanimously to approve the resolution authorizing emergency procurement and directing the city manager to take all necessary actions to protect public health and safety, including repair, replacement, drilling a new well and contracting for engineering and related services. Staff will continue to brief the council and the public as repairs and procurement proceed.