Texas fights droughts by drilling new wells, experts say it could make things worse

Nearly 80% of Texas is experiencing a drought, with the southern portion of the state facing far more severe conditions.

Now, to address their water woes, many South Texas towns are drilling new wells, even as experts warn that aquifers might become depleted.

What's happening?

Corpus Christi and nearby towns are rapidly drilling wells to deal with the historic drought affecting much of the Lone Star State, according to the Texas Tribune.

Corpus Christi is the main water supplier to the region and recently drilled at least a dozen new wells to provide water for its 300,000-plus residents, in addition to the 200,000 more people in neighboring areas. 

NASA satellite imagery shows that the two main reservoirs that provide the Corpus Christi area with water — the Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Corpus Christi — are at roughly 10% capacity. 

Peter Zanoni, Corpus Christi's City Manager, told the Texas Tribune that it's possible within the coming months that the city may need to declare a water emergency — a measure taken when there's only a six-month supply of water remaining. Three Rivers, a city 73 miles from Corpus Christi, already made the emergency declaration.

What are people saying?

One Texas A&M-Corpus Christi hydrologist, Dr. Dorina Murglet, shared her concerns about the use of groundwater to address the drought and the reservoirs' ability to recharge.  

Murglet explained in an interview with the Texas Tribune that "if what goes in is less than what goes out through pumping, then you are going to see that resource depleting … political boundaries are not hydrologic boundaries."

Neighboring Beeville, Texas, which itself just drilled four new wells, also has criticisms for how Corpus Christi has handled the drought. The city's Mayor Pro Tem, Benny Puente, who also declared a water emergency in October, blasted the Corpus Christi City Council over its scrapping of a plan for a new desalination plant to address the region's water troubles. 

Puente stated, "I am disappointed in the way that they've handled this water situation, and things need to change fast. Desalination needs to happen right now."

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