By Kathleen Calame
Publisher, The Devine News
The pump on the Edwards Water Well #1 (City of Devine) which went down on Friday, August 25, 2023 leaving only one well to service the entire City of Devine, is now back up and running. The pump was repaired last Friday, and a back up pump was ordered as well.
At one point in time the City of Devine had five wells, 3 in the Carrizo Aquifer and 2 in the Edwards Aquifer.
A little history…
The Edwards Well #1 most recently repaired was drilled back in the 1990s.
Currently the Bain Well, which is a Carrizo Aquifer well, is still waiting on repairs.
“JR put together a proposal and we went out for bids. The estimated cost is over $50,000 to repair the leak at the main pipe coming from the well into the ground. When we get the Bain well back online we would then have three wells, one a Carrizo and two Edwards wells,” said Rodriguez.
They have little to no hope for two other wells including “The Harrison well” (which was a Carrizo well) nor “The LC Martin well” (also a Carrizo well) that went down after the winter storm and never came back on right.”
Edwards wells allotment
“We have a total is 911.7 acre feet we have purchased. We don’t have all of it in one pot, it’s a combination used between the municipal and irrigation, the total acre feet of water,” said Rodriguez.
“In the event, we have a water reduction stage(s), like we are in now, we can move over acre feet of water from irrigation to municipal, so we don’t get dinged or fined like up to $50,000. It helps save us, in other words, we don’t have all our eggs into one basket.”
Where does the water come from and go
Both the City of Devine water wells known as Edwards #1 and Edwards #2 are located in the country on FM 1343 on the road between Devine and Castroville. The water flows from those wells on FM 1343 to the Warhorse Water Tower storage tank and then up into the Warhorse Water Tower (The one next to the football field painted maroon and gold) and then distributed into town into the other water towers at the golf course and downtown etc.
The storage tank at the Warhorse Water Tower is over 50 years old, and was the top of discussion not too long ago as to the concern that it needs replacing since it is not repairable and has aged.
The city has been working with the school district to buy one acre of land near the Warhorse Water Tower to build a new water storage tank on the ground near it to replace the current one. The new one would be larger than the old one we are currently using. It is receiving the water from the Edwards # 1 and Edwards.
Down to one well before
The City was down to one well before from January til July14, 2023 as they were getting the Edwards #2 back up and running, and were able to do that just in time, it appears. At that time, only the Edwards #1 was running. So this is not the first time this had happened, but is worrisome.
“We need both wells up especially now during Stage 4,” said Rodriguez.
Stage 5 nearing
Although the City of Devine has purchased the 911.7 acre feet of water to use from the Edward’s Aquifer, during drought reduction stages that figure is reduced by 20% at Stage 3, up to 40% at Stage 4, which we are currently in today. It will then will go up to 60% water reduction during Stage 5, which we are getting close to. And taxpayers will be paying quite a bit if water usage is over what the city is approved to use.