Nick Winkelmann, chief operating officer for Corpus Christi Water, told council the city is taking a \u201ccalculated strategic direction\u201d by beginning construction before permits are secured.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to start building the project in about five weeks without the drilling permits,\u201d Zanoni added. \u201cThe alternative is to not do anything, maybe lose Garney and lose the engineer of record, and wait.\u201d<\/p>\n
If the protests succeed and the case proceeds to a contested hearing, leaders said the delay could last up to two years.<\/p>\n
Councilman Roland Barrera expressed concern about the escalating costs, noting the surface use agreements alone now exceed $12 million.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing I worry about with all the expenditures is the speculative loss if it doesn\u2019t work,\u201d Barrera said. \u201cWe\u2019re spending funds on a speculative investment that we don\u2019t know where it\u2019s going to go because there\u2019s no certainty.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"EVANGELINE](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773824508_572_.jpeg\")
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Adam Beam<\/p>\n
Corpus Christi City Council meeting on March 17, 2026.<\/p>\n
Councilman Mark Scott questioned the timeline, asking how much money the city is committing without permit guarantees.
Sinton and St. Paul Water Supply Corporation are formally protesting the Evangeline project\u2019s permit applications, which are essential to Corpus Christi\u2019s groundwater supply plan.<\/p>\n
Prior to the vote to protest permits to contested hearings, the Evangeline Groundwater project was one of Corpus Christi\u2019s key pieces in avoiding November curtailment. Despite the delays, Zanoni says it remains a critical part of securing water for the region.<\/p>\n
Last week, Sen. Adam Hinojosa, District 27, invited leaders from the City of Sinton and the City of Corpus Christi to sit down for a round table discussion regarding Evangeline. Sinton leaders declined that invitation.<\/a><\/p>\n In a statement, the City of Sinton said it had concerns regarding transparency with Corpus Christi, writing that it would not attend the meeting until \u201cthe City of Corpus Christi (\u201cCCC\u201d) provides essential information and responds to a previously submitted proposal intended to resolve ongoing groundwater permit matters.\u201d<\/p>\n Zanoni told KRIS 6 News at the time<\/a> that Sinton\u2019s concerns were addressed. “Having that dialogue to get this project, to bring water to the region, is gonna take continued communication, continued effort, continued professionalism,\u201d Zanoni said following Sen. Hinojosa\u2019s meeting. <\/p>\n He continued, \u201cWe\u2019re still very much open-minded, and our calendars are open to meet with the city of Sinton and their attorneys on terms that would work for the region and for the ratepayers that exist today.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam Beam<\/p>\n Sen. Adam Hinojosa gives opening remarks to Corpus Christi leadership at a meeting related to water. The City of Sinton declined the senator’s invite citing transparency concerns with Corpus Christi.<\/p>\n Days after the solo meeting, Sinton city leaders would issue another statement regarding Evangeline.<\/p>\n \u201cState water planning frameworks are built on the expectation that communities will coordinate across political boundaries, share data, and evaluate impacts together,\u201d the statement read. \u201cWithout that cooperation, no single entity can responsibly plan for drought, growth, or long-term aquifer sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOver two weeks later, their attorney responded, characterizing our proposal as \u2018pretty much nothing but a redline strikeout of the terms proposed by Sinton,\u2019 and further claimed that our terms were \u2018so draconian and\/or unnecessarily harsh, or simply unnecessary\u2019 because, in his view, the issues we raised were already addressed in documents Corpus Christi Water has provided to Sinton, St. Paul Water Supply Corporation (SPWSC), the San Patricio Groundwater Conservation District (SPGCD), and the public.\u201d<\/p>\n READ THE FULL STATEMENT FROM SINTON HERE – March 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Following up with Zanoni on Tuesday, he alleges Sinton \u201crefuses to meet\u201d with Corpus Christi leadership.<\/p>\n \u201cThey continue to say they\u2019re unavailable for dates that the judge has given us. We could have met as early as the end of this month, March, as early as April 1,\u201d Zanoni said. \u201cRight now, they\u2019re saying they\u2019re not available until the end of April. That would be a two-month delay, which is unfortunate.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam Beam<\/p>\n Sinton, Tx.<\/p>\n The City Manager continued, \u201cThe Evangeline groundwater project is 100% permit in terms of production, so the wells and the transport permits are really perfunctory at this point. Nonetheless, we\u2019ll have to go through the process.\u201d<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott\u2019s office told KRIS 6 News the governor has directed state agencies to take immediate action to protect Corpus Christi\u2019s water supply<\/a>, waiving regulations to speed up permitting and ordering a key river authority to prevent near-term water cuts to the city. Zanoni tells KRIS 6 News that there\u2019s potential for the governor\u2019s office to intervene in the ongoing disputes<\/a> in San Patricio County as well. \u201cAbbott, for several years now, has declared areas, disaster areas because of this drought, and we think that with some of that disaster declaration, local rules could be waived to include that groundwater conservation district.\u201d<\/p>\n Zanoni continued, \u201cSo the seller of the groundwater rights is working that avenue to see if a directive from the governor can supersede the groundwater rules to allow either temporary or permanent issuance of permits.\u201d<\/p>\n For the latest local news updates, click here<\/a>, or download the KRIS 6 News App.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"WATER](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773824508_242_.jpeg\")
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Last week, Abbott also threatened that the state would step in when it comes to water.<\/p>\n