Rockport leaders are exploring new water sources including groundwater and desalination. Leaders say one of their main goals is to diversify its supply.
ROCKPORT, Texas — Rockport leaders are looking to secure the city’s water future as concerns grow about the region’s supply.
The city currently relies on water from Corpus Christi through the San Patricio Municipal Water District. But with ongoing drought conditions and projections that Corpus Christi could enter a Level One Water Emergency in the coming months, local officials say the writing is on the wall.
“So we all get our water from the city of Corpus Christi… About 6 months ago we started realizing that we may be in a little bit of an issue,” said Rockport City Councilmember Brad Brundrett.
A newly released water availability report for Aransas County is now guiding the city’s next steps. Leaders say one of their main goals is to diversify where their water comes from and reduce reliance on a single source.
Rockport currently uses about 2.5 to 3 million gallons of water per day and is now exploring ways to produce water locally.
One potential option is tapping into brackish groundwater beneath the area and treating it for use.
“One of the things, the important things out of there I want to say is we do have water availability below us. It is treatable. It is brackish… so we do some kind of RO system,” Brundrett said.
City leaders are considering desalination after touring a facility in Alice.
“We’re looking at a couple of options to help us establish water independence, one of those being groundwater RO, reverse osmosis, and then we’re also looking at… desal,” said City Manager Vanessa Shrauner.
However, officials say any solution must avoid harming existing wells or infrastructure.
“We have about 1600 residential water wells in Aransas County and we want to make sure we don’t affect any of our residential water wells or commercial water wells that people use for their homes, their irrigation, whatever it may be,” Brundrett said.
As the city explores new water sources, it’s also facing financial challenges tied to conservation efforts.
“We are losing money on that system because we are selling less water than budgeted for… which is great for conservation,” Brundrett said.
At the same time, the cost of purchasing water continues to rise.
“We have to buy the water that we receive and distribute to our customers, and our cost increase has to match the increase that we’re receiving,” Shrauner said.
To address that gap, Rockport leaders are considering a water rate increase. For the average customer, that could mean an increase of about $5 to $6 per month.
City leaders say they are working quickly to address the issue and secure long-term supply.
“We are working real hard and real fast… to mitigate the issues that we’re having right now,” Brundrett said.
Officials also plan to make water reports and updates available on the city’s website so residents can stay informed as decisions move forward.