A small South Texas city is taking a stand over its water supply as the City of Corpus Christi prepares to expand groundwater operations nearby.<\/p>\n
Residents and city leaders in Orange Grove are growing concerned that the expansion near Bluntzer will put their water supply at risk and cause local wells to run dry. I traveled to Orange Grove to speak with city leaders and neighbors about the growing water crisis.<\/p>\n
Orange Grove recently held a meeting and approved a protest. Mayor Carl Srp said the city wants long-term solutions and is protecting its water source for its own residents.<\/p>\n
“They need water. I\u2019m fully for that, but they want to get into my water, and I don\u2019t appreciate it,” Srp said.<\/p>\n
Bruce Mumme, owner of Triple M Ranch, said he has already spent thousands of dollars dropping his water pump and drilling a second well to keep his business going. He fears that more strain on the aquifer could make his wells run dry.<\/p>\n
“One day the spigot didn\u2019t come on, no water. Oh no, what am I going to do? I got all these cows that, a cow drinks about 20 gallons of water a day just to keep them going,” Mumme said.<\/p>\n
“They\u2019re talking about millions of gallons a day. You know we drain Mathis lake are we gonna drain the aquifer. Then what?” Mumme said.<\/p>\n
Leigh Roxanne Williams, an Orange Grove native, said the impact is already being felt. She said if wells dry out, it can cause damage that costs thousands to repair, an expense she and other residents cannot afford.<\/p>\n
“They are going to take the water from this area. They\u2019ve already proven that last year when they turned the pumps on. And flowed quite a few million gallons of water from the zone. I’m probably, at least, 10 miles away from the area, it impacted my well,” Williams said.<\/p>\n
“And what I\u2019m afraid is that the City of Corpus Christi is going to make it to where it\u2019s unlivable in South Texas,” Williams said.<\/p>\n
Orange Grove is pushing back, calling for petitions and action to make sure their taps do not run dry.<\/p>\n
“I think we should take every precaution to protect our waters that they thought was ours. And now that the lake has gone dry others entities, and I understand that they\u2019re in trouble,” Srp said.<\/p>\n
City leaders said they are not against working together, but they want a seat at the table before any decisions are made that could impact their future water supply.<\/p>\n
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