Corpus Christi is moving forward with an expansion of its groundwater program, but rural Nueces County residents are pushing back, raising concerns about water security and conflicts of interest in the permitting process.
On Friday, the city applied for 15 new drilling permits for wells. They also requested that authorized production be aggregated across all permitted wells. No additional production from those wells was requested.
The Corpus Christi Aquifer Storage and Recovery Conservation District held a public hearing Friday, drawing vocal opposition from residents who rely on private groundwater wells as their only source of running water.
"This district is a sham of a district!" one public commenter said.
"There's a lot of questions that need to be answered, that people need to ask," another said.
Chris Wildman, a resident and property owner in Nueces County, said he only learned the city was requesting 15 new drilling permits through social media. His property is close to a number of the city's wells.
"Never was notified of any wells being drilled across from the county road from my residence. It's just disheartening," Wildman said.
For some of these residents, private wells that draw groundwater are their only source of running water. Many spoke against the city's groundwater project out of fear that frequent pumping could eventually leave them without water.
"The security of being able to survive," Wildman said when asked why he spoke at the hearing.
"Rural Texans should not be forced to pay the price for mismanaged water sources," another commenter said.
Protesters also raised concerns about a conflict of interest in the permitting process. The Corpus Christi Aquifer Storage and Recovery Conservation District, which has final say on the permits, has multiple board members who work for the city — including Esteban Ramos, who works for Corpus Christi Water under Nick Winkelmann. Corpus Christi Water is the entity applying for the permits.
"Request for well spacing and stuff Esteban makes me question your ability to manage the district. Makes me question your ability to manage groundwater," Scott Barraza, one resident, said.
"All of this clearly constitutes a conflict of interest," another resident said.
Ramos pushed back on those claims.
"I don't believe there's a conflict of interest. I believe they [the board members] all take their responsibilities to heart and do a great job of determining what should be permitted and what should not be permitted," Ramos said.
The district ultimately voted to authorize temporary drilling permits for a period not to exceed four months.
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