Jade Helm 15, County Property, and the Dove Creek Water Crisis

County Judge Steve Floyd is in Washington D.C. this week. Tuesday morning he met with U.S. Senator Ted Cruz about the Jade Helm 15 exercise that is causing controversy nationwide, and sparking a growing concern in Tom Green County. Some on the Internet claim that Jade Helm 15 is an exercise for our military to practice initializing martial law in the U.S. "JADE" is initials for "Joint Assistant for Deployment and Execution" and "HELM" means "Homeland Eradication of Local Militants", claims an Internet website called "Investment Watch". Investment Watch's masthead says it is "Alternative News Covering Finance, Economy, Politics, World News, Current Events and More" and is the highly-cited source of Jade Helm 15 detractors.

The noise about Jade Helm 15 grew so loud yesterday that Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared on Twitter that he is mobilizing the Texas State Guard to keep an eye on the U.S. Army during the exercise in Texas. You can read more about this and read the Governor's letter at DallasNews.com.

A portion of the eight-week realistic military training will take place in southern Tom Green County, mainly in the Christoval area. Bill Ford met with the military officials that are currently in the area preparing for the training this past week. “These are honorable military functions, these guys are Green Berets, they have served our country facing harm’s way defending our freedom, and I will stand up to defend  their training here,” Ford said. “The whole thing has been blown out of proportion," he said, referring to the mass hysteria and paranoid tales circulating the internet.  LIVE! first reported on this when the subject was presented to the county commissioners on March 11. Click here for that story.

County Property For Sale

Tom Green County still has some property for sell to anyone interested.  A 50x190 square foot piece of property in a 60 percent flood zone on the corner of Bell St. and Spaulding St. is up for sale. Last March the property was appraised at $3400. Ralph Holescher says that it is costing the county more money annually to keep it mowed than it’s worth.  A motion was made for the county purchasing agent, Johnny Grimaldo, to post an ad notifying residents of the intent of property sale in the amount of $1,000. The commissioners however could accept a lower bid, should one be presented. Also, a 17 acre plot on US 87 and Grape Creek Road is also back on the market. A company that had expressed interest in the lot previously visited the site and decided it was not plausible to their needs.   Those interested can contact Grimaldo direct at (325) 659-6500.

Dove Creek Subdivision Water Troubles

Dove Creek is in severe drought conditions, despite the rain the county has received lately. The area is considered priority “P” on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s drought list, which means Dove Creek, could be out of water within 90 days. An area was found that can be drilled to resolve the water issue, but it is owned by a board member of the Freshwater Supply District. This is considered a conflict of interest since the landowner, who also sits on the board would gain profit from the drilling.

“We have to request from the state an exception in order to continue with the drilling because the landowner sits on the board,” said Rick Bacon. “I suspect they will be swift in their decision because of the urgency of the situation. We do have a time limit on the grant as well, so factoring in all of those, we expect an answer soon.”  

The Department of Agriculture gave a $350,000 grant to the county almost six months ago, which has aided in the discovery of the water. Once there is an approval from the state funds can be used to drill and lay the pipelines necessary to accommodate for more water in the area.

The Dove Creek Subdivision was established in 1979, and currently has 487 tracts of land with approximately 372 owners. The water department in that area is owned by the Dove Creek Subdivision, which only services that area.

Grape Creek and Carlsbad Water

A brackish water study is also underway in the Grape Creek, Carlsbad, Watervalley area. Bacon discussed the possibility of desalination if the water in these areas is found to be viable. A team of engineers out of Austin will conduct the study that will take anywhere from 12 to 18 months to complete. “They will try to identify how much brackish water there is in the area and whether it’s sustainable,” Bacon said. “They are obtaining information from the Railroad Commission and all kinds of data from different sources. Once the study is complete we will be able to go from there and decide what’s best.”