CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — A preliminary hearing on the Evangeline Groundwater Project’s drilling and transport permits has been scheduled for April 28, moving a critical step closer to resolving a legal standoff that city officials say threatens Corpus Christi’s water future.

City Manager Peter Zanoni notified the mayor and city council Wednesday that Judge Alicia Franklin York, the administrative law judge presiding over the contested permit case, has scheduled a Preliminary Hearing on Standing from 1 to 5 p.m. via Zoom. No in-person location has been announced.

Zanoni has told the council that Evangeline represents “the only thing right now that will keep us out of a Level 1 water emergency.”

At a March 17 city council meeting, Corpus Christi Water COO Nick Winkelmann presented six scenarios projecting the city’s water future. Five of the six lead to a Level 1 emergency. Scenarios A and B project curtailment as soon as May. Scenarios C and D push that to October 2026. Scenario E is the only outcome that would prevent a Level 1 emergency entirely.

Zanoni said two key pieces of information will determine which scenario plays out: waivers to the water quality management plan for the Eastern and Western Well Fields, and permits for the Evangeline groundwater project.

The City Council voted this month to pour another $187 million into the project, bringing the total estimated cost, including water rights, to $665.2 million.

The project still lacks key drilling and transport permits from the San Patricio Groundwater Conservation District. Protests filed by the City of Sinton and St. Paul Water Supply Corporation pushed the permitting process into contested hearings.

If the protests succeed and the case proceeds to a full contested hearing, city leaders said the delay could last up to two years.

Winkelmann told council last week the city is taking “a calculated strategic direction” by beginning construction before permits are secured. “We’re going to start building the project in about five weeks without the drilling permits,” Zanoni added. “The alternative is to not do anything, maybe lose Garney and lose the engineer of record, and wait.”

Corpus Christi has attempted to schedule meetings with Sinton leaders, but Zanoni told council that Sinton “refuses to meet.” Sinton, for its part, said it would not attend until Corpus Christi provides “essential information and responds to a previously submitted proposal.”

The April 28 hearing will address standing — which parties have the legal right to participate in the permit dispute.