Bay City Tribune

A right-of-entry request in Matagorda County for the Corpus Christi Garwood Pipeline Project prompted commissioners to try and secure irrigation water for the second-crop rice next year.

The City of Corpus Christi requested permission from Matagorda County to begin preliminary environmental studies that will help them choose one of two routes for a pipeline that would transfer water from the Colorado River near Bay City to the Corpus Christi regional water system.

The workshop was held with representatives from Property Acquisitions Services Inc., a subcontractor of the engineering firm hired by Corpus Christi to plan and design the pipeline, to determine if the county should give right of entry on five parcels of land in the Francitas Farm area that the county currently has tax liens on.

The workshop came just days after Lower Colorado River Authority board of directors indicated water for a second crop of rice in 2010 would not be available because of drought conditions.

Matagorda County Judge Nate McDonald suggested that the county consider negotiating a right-of-entry deal with Corpus Christi if they would be willing to sell water for Matagorda County rice farmers.

"We are in kind of a conundrum here with our ag producers not having enough water certainly for our second crop next year and maybe not even for the first crop," said McDonald.

"So the question kind of comes to me why wouldn't we be willing to ask Corpus Christi if they would be willing to partner with us at least on a temporary basis to support our industry here and us paying them for the product."

Corpus Christi bought 35,000 acre feet per year in 1992 from the Colorado River from Garwood Irrigation Company.

That purchase was part of Garwood's larger water right that is the oldest along the Colorado River - it dates to the early 1900s.

Haskell Simon, Matagorda County's water issues consultant, told McDonald that as long as Corpus Christi doesn't draw the water they will contribute to storage water made available for agricultural use.

"Any water that does not leave the basin accumulates as stored water," said Simon.

"So, as long as they don't ask to take out that water, in a sense, they are contributing to the availability for the water for irrigation."

George Deshotels, commissioner Pct. 2, said that he didn't see any reason to work with Corpus Christi on a project involving interbasin transfer of water - a practice he disapproves of that provides no other benefit to the county.

"First of all, I don't particularly agree with interbasin transfer and second, I guess the bottom line is give me a reason why we should grant an easement to something that we generally don't agree with and provides no benefit to the county," said Deshotels.

"I don't agree with interbasin transfers especially when I look at it as taking freshwater inflows out of the bays and the water coming our way for agricultural use."

McDonald said it would be worth meeting with the mayor of Corpus Christi to negotiate a benefit for Matagorda County.

"I know they aren't going to use that water in 2010, so in the interest of good partnership if they would come along and allow us to use that water over and above what we've already been granted it would be huge for us," he said.

McDonald said the second crop provides most, if not all, of a rice farmer's profit.

"We're looking desperately for every bit of water we can to flood those fields and keep our guys whole," he said.

"So, I think what I'd like to do is contact the mayor of Corpus Christi and drive down and have lunch with him and see what I could do."

Simon suggested that beginning discussions along those lines with the City of Corpus Christi could lead to their help and participation in future projects with the Lower Colorado River Authority.

"I think you have a unique opportunity to negotiate with Corpus Christi that would hopefully augment our future water supply even when they start taking the water," he said.

Simon also suggested that any future easement should be granted with restrictions that only surface water could be piped out.

Matagorda County resident James Mitchell suggested that commissioners also should restrict right of entry specific to the Garwood Pipeline Project.

The proposed Garwood project would be a 54- to 60-inch pipeline between 37 and 41 miles long, depending on which route is selected, according to information from the City of Corpus Christi's water department.

The pipeline will follow one of two routes (illustrated on the map) from an intake pump station on the west bank of the Colorado River just north of Texas 35 near Bay City.

It will tie into Corpus Christi's Mary Rhodes Pipeline which carries water from Lake Texana to the Coastal Bend Region.