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Alpine official says lost Roberts 3 well will take weeks to replace; temporary measures in place
Summary
A city official told Brewster County commissioners that the Roberts 3 well — about 300 gallons per minute historically and supplying roughly 20% of system demand — failed. The city has temporary permits, tanker deliveries, and plans to drill a new well expected to be online in 3–4 weeks.
An Alpine city official told the Brewster County Commissioners Court that the city lost its Roberts 3 production well, which historically produced roughly 300 gallons per minute and supplied about 20% of the city’s water demand. The official said the well’s casing is deteriorated and the city has plugged the well to allow drilling next to the old site and to increase capacity with a new pump.
“We expect that's probably going to take 3 to 4 weeks,” the official said, describing a short-term plan that includes a temporary TCEQ authorization to install a temporary pipe and tanker trucks hauling water from Midland to supply the West Side while the new well is drilled. The official added the new well is budgeted at about $1,000,000 and is expected to produce up to 500 gallons per minute once completed.
The official emphasized the problem is one of infrastructure and distribution zoning — Alpine maintains separate pressure zones that cannot move water freely across the system — and said the city is reinstituting quarterly well-reporting to keep elected officials and the public informed. Commissioners asked whether water quality or quantity were at risk; the official replied the issue is distribution capacity, not an underlying shortage.
Commissioners took the update and did not take immediate formal action; the official said the council will consider related recreation decisions (such as whether to fill the municipal pool) at its next meeting.
