Gov. Greg Abbott is threatening a state takeover of Corpus Christi in the face of a major water crisis that the Texas Republican says city leaders brought on themselves.
“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 when asked about the situation at a campaign rally on Tuesday.
READ MORE: Corpus Christi could be close to running out of water
Without significant rainfall, Corpus Christi is headed for a “water emergency” within months – a major potential crisis that could have economic impacts for the entire state. Corpus Christi is one of the nation’s largest petrochemical hubs.
The governor did not detail what that takeover would entail. His office declined to provide more information. Corpus Christi officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It is the latest in a months-long feud between the governor and city leaders over plans to bolster its water supply, which has been largely depleted by years of drought coupled with industry growth.
In September, Abbott warned that Corpus Christi could be cut off from future financial aid after the city council voted down a controversial seawater desalination plant that has been in the works for years and is a priority for the governor. Council members said the project had gotten too expensive, especially for a plant intended to help an already wealthy industry. The massive project had drawn pushback from some locals and environmental groups, as well.
The state sunk $235 million in direct funding on the project, with the understanding that the city was onboard. The Texas Water Development Board, whose members Abbott appoints, approved more than $700 million in low-interest loans for the project through the State Water Implementation Fund.
Abbott said Tuesday the city has since failed to decide on a path forward.
“We’ve been actively involved in it, going back a long time,” Abbott said Tuesday. “We provided them with $750 million – three-quarters of a billion dollars – in funding for them to address their water problem. You know what they did? They squandered it, and then they changed their plan, and then they were indecisive about what to do.”
This article originally published at Greg Abbott says Texas may have to ‘micromanage’ Corpus Christi due to major water crisis.