Private dam in South Texas must come down

U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack says two Live Oak County residents must submit a timetable, within 15 days, to take down the $70,000 dam.

Jack on Wednesday ruled the dam, built without a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers, violates the Clean Water Act.

Mike Brink and Steve Kalter in 2009 build the dam across La Para Creek. The water flows to the Nueces River, Lake Corpus Christi and ultimately Corpus Christi Bay.

Brink on Thursday told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times that he didn't realize he needed a federal permit. He says his ranch will be eroding into the river.