Corpus Christi’s water issues spur threat of state takeover

Gov. Greg Abbott criticized Corpus Christi leadership Tuesday over its looming water crisis and warned that if local leaders do not take immediate action, the state may need to intervene to ensure residents and businesses have enough.

“Corpus Christi is a victim not because of lack of water. They’re a victim because of a lack of ability to make a decision,” Abbott said at a press conference after a reporter asked him to comment on an Inside Climate News story quoting former regional and city officials who said the potential shortage is a result of years of delayed and poor decisions by city leaders.

“We can only give them a little time more before the state of Texas has to take over and micromanage that city and run that city to make sure that every resident who goes to the water tap and turns it on, they’re going to be getting water out of their faucet, not because of what local leaders are doing, but because of what the state of Texas will do,” Abbott said.

The city’s water supply could drop below expected demand as soon as June, according to one model, said Elisa Olsen, the city’s communications director. The city currently has $1 billion worth of projects in the works to increase its supply — but many of them won’t come online until later this year or next year.

“We are not out of water, but our water supply is declining,” she said.

If new water supplies aren’t added quickly — or there aren’t large enough amounts of rainfall to replenish existing reservoirs — the city and the fast-growing industrial facilities around it could face a serious water shortage within a year, ICN reported Sunday. City officials expect to discuss the matter at a City Council meeting March 17.

The city’s water troubles are partly due to low reservoir levels, drought and rapidly increasing demand driven by industry. Over the last decade the region has seen a huge industrial boom, especially in petrochemical and energy projects near the bay. Those industries require massive amounts of water, putting pressure on the city’s water supply.

However, this is only part of the problem. Former city employees and residents in the area say the crisis has been fueled by a long list of political fights locally over the “right” solutions, poor long-term planning despite repeated warnings and several delayed or canceled water solutions, including a large seawater desalination project that was abandoned after years of planning and spending.

At the press conference, Abbott said the state has been actively involved, giving the city $750 million to address the growing water problem.

“You know what they did? They squandered it,” he said.

For the past six months, since the desalination project’s cancellation, the city has been scrambling to find emergency solutions. City leaders have turned to drilling new groundwater wells in rural Nueces County and are looking to drill in San Patricio County. But the well water is salty and hard to treat, and some locals have contested the city’s drilling permits.

The city has also turned to water conservation, asking residents to reduce water use by banning lawn watering and requiring them to wash cars and boats with a 5-gallon bucket or face a fine.

City leaders have also launched another effort to build desalination plants, but those are years away from being completed.

Texas Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, who for years has advocated for more funding to improve water supplies statewide at the Capitol, told a local radio station that “locals did not want to pay for water, and that is one aspect that we’re seeing play out in Corpus that we’re gonna have conversations about around the state.”

Brandon Formby contributed to this story.