CHRISTOVAL, TX – Tom Green County residents who live off Mineral Wells Rd. just north of Christoval today are facing a recurring problem; every time the area receives an abundance of rain, the only road into and out of their subdivision becomes impassable at the S. Concho River.
Mineral Wells Rd. is the only public road into the small subdivision where 50 to 60 residences enjoy country living along the river. There are families and retired individuals who cannot leave if they are stuck there when water covers the low water crossing like it has for the past few days.
Watch video below of the flooding from Mineral Wells crossing:
Everyone agrees the low water crossing needs to be raised and that the problem has existed for decades.
The issue is that there is no entity that is specifically responsible for the bridge. Residents for years have requested Tom Green County Commissioners address the problem. The challenge is that the bridge is across the river bed which is owned by the State of Texas and not the county.
Pct. 4 County Commissioner Bill Ford has said in the past that they have attempted to secure grant funding to raise the bridge but that's a years-long process. The grant would likely come from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is the final decision maker when it comes to what would be allowed to be done to the bridge under state law.
Flooding in 2018 stranded residents for months and flooding in 2020 again left them without a way in or out of their homes.
The flooding over the last few days has raised the issue again. Ford said Wednesday that the water is receding and the bridge should be passable soon.
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