The latest piece of infrastructure coming to Starbase, Texas is not a launch mountain or acceleration. It is a water pipeline, and which can link a tap (and in what terms) will make the definition of a “company town.”
The new line, which will extend from Brownsville to the newly incorporated city of Starbase, will replace the truck deliveries that SpaceX used to transport drinkable water for its employees and on -site residents. Brownsville Public Utilities Board Coo Mark Dombroski confirmed the line at a July 16 meeting, saying the board had completed a contract with SpaceX to provide water as an in-town customer.
The BPUB approved the SpaceX contract on June 2, Dombroski told Techcrunch by email. He did not explain why SpaceX is treated as an in-urban uneducated customer, who is wearing a cheaper class than off-town customers, despite the fact that the company actually established its own city.
“Under a non-standard development agreement, SpaceX will extend-by their cost line to a metric point in the city limits, then transport the water to Starbase,” he continued. “They will also pay and build the improvements needed for BPUB to deliver water to the meter. This arrangement aims to replace the water transport layout after SpaceX begins to take water through the meter. Timing is driven mostly from the SpaceX building schedule.”
The drinkable water deliveries were limited by 60,000 gallons for a day cap under the current water purchase agreement between BPUB and SpaceX, according to a January 2024 letter from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The pipeline would change that, making it easy for SpaceX to build more amenities and housing for employees.
For a handful of non-Spacex affiliate homes, getting access to that water can come with some terms and conditions.
In July, nearly 40 estates along the stretch between Brownsville and Boca Chica were abruptly cut off from the county water service, According to the San Antonio Express news. Cameron County previously delivered fresh water as a “friendly” service to these farms, but the county now says that it is Starbase’s responsibility to deliver water to these residents.
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Starbase disagrees: In July, Starbase City manager Kent Myers reportedly sent a letter to Cameron County Commissioner saying that the abrupt water cut “presents safety and public health risks.”
Starbase “has neither the legal authority nor operational capacity to deliver water to these residents,” Myers said.
Meanwhile, SpaceX has reportedly distributed “an unconditional and eternal agreement” to non-Spacex affiliate homes, which would exchange access to Starbase’s water and sewage system for residents’ agreement to leave the area for “all and all launches, testing and other operational activities.”
The document also states that “SpaceX has no obligation to provide residents with access to the water and water water of SpaceX”, nor guarantees the quality or volume of water and blocks residents to seek a “legal or monetary resource” against the company.
City – without utilities
The newly incorporated city of Starbase, ruled by SpaceX executives, is a separate urban entity adjacent to and encompassing the appearance of SpaceX’s launch site.
The city was registered in May. Only registered voters within the proposed limit were allowed to vote on the registration. There were 247 lots inside that limit, and only 10 were not owned by SpaceX, according to an affidavit presented by Spacex Senior Manager of Spaceport Operations Richard Cardile.
Even before the vote was voted, SpaceX worked behind the scenes to formalize drinkable water supplies for employees and residents.
SpaceX has established a state-regulated drinking water system, filled with half-million gallon ground storage, plus service pumps, chlorine analyzer, tank mixer and other hardware, according to TCEQ registers. The central water system, which is delivered by the two water transporters, is small compared to urban utility, but considerable for an on -site, industrial operation. It serves 239 housing service links, or meters, which can include multiple units.
Starbase’s role is limited by design: “The city of Starbase does not provide any useful services,” Myers told Techcrunch. “These services are provided by SpaceX within the city limits.”
In practice, this means that the next Brownsville Starbase pipeline would feed a private, SpaceX-powered water system. Neighbors do not automatically get a right to tap; Any relationship would be at the discretion of SpaceX, and in the terms of SpaceX.
The planned pipeline resolves close-time shortage for SpaceX employees and their families, but does not create a public right to water.
According to public records, SpaceX has not obtained a certificate of comfort and necessity (CCN), the authorization of a Texas public useful commission that determines who may sell water, so it has no obligation to serve third parties.
SpaceX did not respond to Techcrunch’s questions about whether it will add public services to its long list of business services.
