PEARSALL, Texas – Some neighbors in Frio County called News 4 WOAI saying they’re upset. They say their county commissioners signed off on a plan to pump water into a pond that’s drying up, and in the process flooded their streets with thousands of gallons of worth of expensive water.
“Seeing it just hurt,” taxpayer Ruben Frausto said about the water he saw spilling onto his street. “I wanted to carry some 5-gallon buckets over there, and use it in my yard.”
News 4 WOAI found out Frio County Commissioners voted to fill the Frio County Community Pond with water purchased from a private well off Gross Street.
In a telephone conversation, Commissioner Richard Hernandez told News 4 WOAI the goal was to save the catfish, bass, and other fish species in jeopardy of dying in the drought-stricken pond.
News 4 WOAI found out the plan wasn’t cheap. Hernandez said the water cost the county about $350 a day. Add in the extra costs for pumping, Hernandez says total expenses were about $5,000 for one week.
“That was just waste. That’s just terrible waste,” Frausto said.
The pump’s finally shut off now. After seven days of flooding the streets, Hernandez said commissioners finally determined pumping the water was too expensive. He said if the area doesn’t get some significant rain pretty soon, all the fish in the community pond will end up dying.
If you see signs of waste in your community, just let News 4 WOAI know. We’ll check into it for you. You can always e-mail your tips to
NEWS4WOAITV.COM or
DEMONDFERNANDEZ@WOAITV.COM.
