CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — South Texas is running dry, and Corpus Christi leaders say they’ve finally found a way to squeeze a little more life out of a shrinking water supply. The city is rolling out a plan to recycle treated wastewater and pump millions of gallons back into daily use without relying on storm clouds that haven’t shown up in months.

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City officials want to reroute the treated wastewater that currently flows into Oso Bay, turning it into a new source for industrial customers. The area around the Ennis Joslin treatment facility has become a haven for wildlife, but the city says it also represents a big opportunity. The proposal calls for sending that treated water through a long pipeline to the Greenwood and Saratoga wastewater plant.

City Manager Peter Zanoni told council members the first step alone carries an $11 million design fee, and construction for that initial segment is expected to cost about $100 million.

If the city builds its section, refinery row would be asked to build their own line from Greenwood to their facilities. That second stretch would cost another $100 million or more, but companies like Valero, Flint Hills and Citgo are already expressing interest. The pitch is simple. Industry uses this recycled water, and the city gets to save its drinkable supply.

The mayor and City Council say this could free up millions of gallons a day in the city’s distribution system. That’s water the public desperately needs as drought keeps tightening the screws.

Mayor Paulette Guajardo said the project would take treated water that currently flows into bays and estuaries and divert part of it for industrial use. She said the move could free up 16 million gallons a day within the next two years.

Councilwoman Carolyn Vaughn said the plan should have been done years ago, calling it a smart use of what the city already has and a direct benefit to residents who will see more water kept in the system.

If the plan holds, the first major stretch of pipeline could break ground within the next year. City leaders say stretching every source and every drop of H2O will help to keep its water future from running aground.

Council voted 9-0 in favor of hiring a firm to design and engineer the city’s part of the pipeline.