Corpus Christi Sun

Reports reveal that Surfside Beach could soon be the site of the newest crude oil pipeline in Texas.

Melinda Wilhelm, who operates an insurance agency in town, said she is concerned about the pipeline, which is a joint investment venture between many Houston-based Enterprise Products Partners and Enbridge, a Canadian petroleum giant. 

“Our concern is an oil spill could just devastate us,” Wilhelm said. “Our livelihood is the tourist industry. … Nobody wants [the pipeline] here.”

The project proposal reveals that the pipeline will run along the Highway 288 corridor, edging Angleton, Oyster Creek, and Surfside Beach. The pipeline will be connected to an offshore oil rig that is 30 miles into the Gulf. 

Wilhelm says her tract of beachfront property, which spans 6 acres, sits squarely in the pipeline’s path. Wilhelm described her beachfront property as a “little slice of heaven.” 

According to Wilhelm, she just learned about the project in February. She was informed in a public meeting about the pipeline plans. Wilhelm claimed she was never notified by the companies involved in the project. She told reporters she is working with community leaders and environmental activists to slow the project down. 

According to reports, the City Council has voted against the project. Wilhelm said "the stakes are too high for residents to sit idly by."  

Surfside Beach, a village populated by over 560 people, is a haven for tourists and wildlife lovers. Its drive-on beach attracts families each summer to soak up the sun and enjoy the surf. Surfside's shoreline is the southern boundary of the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, where birdwatchers can frequently see the brilliant roseate spoonbill. 

According to Surfside Beach Alderman Greg Bisso, the beach is one of many nesting spots for the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. Experts say that this breed of the turtle is very rare and one of the smallest as well.

“I’ve been coming to Surfside my whole life. My dream of living here came true in 2002. Now, the [oil pipeline] project will run through our beach and sand dunes destroying the area where our endangered turtle's nest,” Bisso said.