REFUGIO COUNTY, Texas — A Refugio County resident fears Corpus Christi’s water expansion plans could drain his well dry, leaving his rural community without a vital lifeline.
Retired Navy veteran Manuel Gradillas spent $20,000 on a well for his home. He said water is essential for his entire community.
"If you take my water, I have nothing," Gradillas said.
"Water is a staple of life because if you can't feed your cattle, they die. If you can't feed your chickens, they die. You don't have meat, you don't have eggs, you don't have any of that because you need water for livestock," Gradillas said.
Gradillas' well sits at a depth of 140 feet. He fears it will be no match for the 800-foot deep wells used by the city of Corpus Christi, which would draw from the same aquifer if the Evangeline Laguna Project gets approved.
"They're gonna suck all the water from the surrounding areas, Beeville, Goliad, Refugio, San Patricio, all these other areas, they're gonna take our water for them, for their city," Gradillas said.
Nick Winklemann, chief operating officer for Corpus Christi Water, said the city's well access for the wells already pumping in Nueces County is between 500 and 800 feet below ground.
"We are accessing the water - targeting the water depths between 500 and 800 feet. So we’re taking advantage of the confining clay layers to separate the production of our wells from the local residential and livestock wells," Winklemann said.
Gradillas' concerns are echoed by neighbors across the Coastal Bend. On Tuesday, KRIS 6 News reported on concerns from a man in Alice who says his well water has been impacted since the city of Corpus Christi began pumping in Nueces County.
If deeper wells drain the aquifer, Gradillas and other rural residents could be forced to abandon the land they have invested their lives in.
"We’re going to end up having to sell it and move some place where they have water," Gradillas said.
Gradillas said without water, his investment would dry up, and his right to secure his own water should be protected. He and his neighbors hope Corpus Christi leaders find a solution to their water problems before surrounding communities are left with nothing.
"I didn't buy this property out here for somebody in Corpus Christi. A county away from us to say, hey, well, you have it, I want it. So I’m gonna take it from you," Gradillas said.
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