ROBSTOWN, Texas — The Nueces County Water Control and Improvement District #3 held a meeting on Tuesday discussing their water rights and the City of Corpus Christi's concerns with them.
The public showed up to comment on potential plans to build an ammonia plant in the Robstown and Calallen area. They asked for more transparency about plans to potentially build the Nueces Green Ammonia plant and its affect on their communities.
The district held the meeting to discuss obtaining legal counsel about their water rights related to the potential project. More than a dozen people spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, including citizens and local elected officials.
The water district responded to comparisons to similar projects in the region, saying it must follow Texas' rules.
"Somebody mentioned Ingleside turning down a company," Nueces County WCID #3 President Ronnie Salinas said. "We're not the City, we are a water district that is governed by the state, and we've got to follow those rules,"
Salinas told the crowd he also lives near where the proposed ammonia plant would be built and feels the sentiments of the community. He explained that there are only certain reasons why the water district can refuse water and they are within their water rights regarding the project.
"Boils down to about 10.5 million gallons so, we would definitely be within those rights or within those standards with the amount of water that is being requested," Salinas said.
City of Corpus Christi officials also attended Tuesday's meeting. Corpus Christi Director of Intergovernmental Relations Ryan Skrobarczyk said the meeting was supported and encouraged.
He explained that is because the City of Corpus Christi wants the water district to better understand their water right, the city's own water right on the Nueces River system and how those two water rights interact.
"In particular, on the City of Corpus Christi as the regional water provider to seven counties," Skrobarczyk said. "Understanding how this potential project impacts rate payers across that region,"
He said the potential ammonia plant affects the entire region both economically and regarding natural resources.
Skrobarczyk added that since Corpus Christi has been in Stage 1 drought restrictions for more than 600 days and could soon move to Stage 2, that is why the city is concerned about what happens with the project.
"Our drought restrictions are driven by the combined lake levels on the Nueces River system, and so, anything that interacts with that river system is of critical importance that the City of Corpus Christi as a regional water provider understand," he said.
Skrobarczyk said it was important for the water district to update the public on Tuesday and it needs to happen more frequently. He added that includes communicating with local governments in the region so everyone can understand the effects of the potential ammonia plant.
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