{"id":288136,"date":"2026-05-11T16:32:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T16:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/288136\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T16:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T16:32:10","slug":"inside-the-texas-water-crisis-pitting-residents-against-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/288136\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Texas Water Crisis Pitting Residents Against Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

This story was originally published by Straight Arrow<\/a>.<\/p>\n

May Mendoza is in need of water. But despite the fact that her restaurant, Perrin\u2019s on the Water, is literally on the waters of the Texas Gulf Coast, drinking water is in increasingly short supply. On a sunny Wednesday in late April, she taped up signs in the bathrooms and on the front and back doors, alerting guests to the effects of Corpus Christi\u2019s rapidly accelerating water shortage. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just going to bottled water in a couple days,\u201d Mendoza told a couple as they found a seat at her New Orleans-style restaurant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Corpus Christi\u2019s city leaders have called for declaring a \u201cLevel 1\u201d water emergency<\/a> at the end of the summer, cutting the amount of water residents, small businesses and big industry can use by 25%. And Mendoza isn\u2019t one to wait for an emergency to hit her. So she\u2019s preparing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNo more free water,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to get ahead of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Linda Garrett drinks tap water at Perrin\u2019s On the Water in Corpus Christi. The restaurant is preparing to cut back on water usage as the drought worsens. They plan to start selling bottled water to patrons. (Antranik Tavitian for Straight Arrow)<\/p>\n

She is moving to paper plates for certain dishes and throwaway cups for anything but cocktails, so there will be less to clean in the kitchen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Perrin\u2019s just opened about two months ago, and Mendoza hopes the summer regulars still decide to vacation in town. The next few months, she said, is their best time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething has got to be done,\u201d Mendoza said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s got to be done soon.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Merida May Mendoza, owner, poses for a portrait at Perrin\u2019s On the Water in Corpus Christi. (Antranik Tavitian for Straight Arrow)<\/p>\n

Mendoza is just one of Corpus Christi\u2019s roughly 318,000 residents squaring off with a water crisis after several dry and rainless years. Now the city is at an impasse: Demand for water has reached a limit as its dedicated lakes, reservoirs and groundwater wither away. In the past few months, the local shortage has gained state and national attention, sparking concerns for the global oil and gas industry\u00a0 \u2014 in which Corpus Christi is a vital player\u00a0 \u2014 and threats of a state takeover by Governor Greg Abbott<\/a>. It has also laid bare the ongoing rift between leadership, residents and industry on how the city should move forward, whether through conservation, new sources of water or a mix of both.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Residents and leaders alike dig in on opposite sides of the debate over removing salt from the Gulf\u2019s waters to aid the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Is Desalination the Best Solution for the Texas Coast?<\/p>\n

The city has for years considered constructing desalination plants \u2014 costly facilities that convert saltwater to fresh, drinking water. The project is controversial among residents who remain divided on whether desalination is the right move. Critics point to the environmental impact, the location and concerns over industrial water consumption, while proponents assert it\u2019s the best decision for the community, the economy and the growing industrial market despite a $1 billion price tag<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Corpus Christi is far from the first Texas city drying up. Lake Medina west of San Antonio has for years barely reached 5%<\/a> of its total capacity, causing residents to buy water and dig deeper wells. And across Texas, communities are raising concerns <\/a>over water shortages due to a rise in data centers, all the while there is a concerted effort from some<\/a> to ship East Texas water to drier regions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A sign against more industry and desalination plants in the Hillcrest neighborhood at the Brooks AME Worship Center in Corpus Christi. (Antranik Tavitian for Straight Arrow)<\/p>\n

\u201cCorpus Christi is just one canary in the coal mine,\u201d said Jennifer Walker, director of the Texas Coast and Water Program at the National Wildlife Federation. \u201cCorpus is certainly a very acute example that everyone is watching, but there are other parts of the state dealing with water scarcity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, this year, all eyes are on Corpus. City Council rejected the first desalination plant contract last fall, but is currently in the stage of considering a new contract in the same location. That decision could arrive as soon as this summer, pending final environmental research and a city council vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the meantime, residents are preparing for tighter restrictions this summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, it\u2019s on us to be aware of what\u2019s happening, the choice that our city or water utility is making around water supply decisions,\u201d Walker said. \u201cGoing forward in a water-constrained era, communities will need to be making the decisions about where the next iteration of water comes from.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The dock of a house stands on a dried up portion of Lake Corpus Christi where there would usually be water. (Antranik Tavitian for Straight Arrow)<\/p>\n

An Industrial Debate<\/p>\n

Monna Lytle\u2019s neighbors have been moving away, one after another since long before anyone mentioned a water emergency in Corpus Christi. They cleaned out their homes in the city\u2019s Hillcrest neighborhood, packed up their lives and settled across town. Eventually, their houses were bulldozed and debris removed, leaving behind empty, grassy lots to make room for the city\u2019s booming oil and gas industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lytle stayed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She remained unswayed by a city buyout, which promised a fresh start away from the growing industrial corridor reshaping Hillcrest\u2019s historically Black and Brown community in the city\u2019s northeast end. Today, over a decade later, Lytle is still fighting for her family home. This time, she is taking on a desalination plant just a few blocks from her house.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Monna Lytle looks off before going for a tour of the Hillcrest neighborhood in Corpus Christi. (Antranik Tavitian for Straight Arrow)<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one is realizing this plant is inside a neighborhood,\u201d said Lytle, 71. \u201cIt\u2019s not adjacent, it\u2019s not nearby, they want to put a desalination plant inside a neighborhood.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

While this summer\u2019s water concerns have hit a parched and fevered pitch, this is far from the first time Corpus Christi has fallen into dry times. In 2011, the city recorded one of the worst droughts in history. It shriveled up the water supply and pushed the city to implement severe water restrictions for residents and surrounding communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The dried up lakes and scorched lawns shocked leadership to begin looking at the issue of water seriously. This included the possibility of desalination, said Jim Klein, a history professor at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. Klein was on city council from 2023 to 2024, where he voiced concerns over industry, desalination plants and finding other solutions to the water crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How Much Water Does the Oil and Gas Industry Use?
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Dr. Jim Klein poses for a portrait at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. (Antranik Tavitian for Straight Arrow)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been like a slow train coming and now it\u2019s at the station,\u201d Klein told Straight Arrow. \u201cThere\u2019s been a standard practice here in Corpus Christi to sell water to anybody who wants it, to kind of treat water as an unlimited resource, and we\u2019re finding out now it\u2019s not unlimited.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Corpus Christi normally pumps its water supply <\/a>from Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon to the west, and Lake Texana and the Colorado River to the east. As of May 3, Lake Corpus Christi is at 8.3%<\/a> capacity and Choke Canyon is at 7.3%<\/a> capacity. Lake Texana is at 67.8%<\/a>, but shrinking with use.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For years, leadership considered desalination as the best solution for residents and the growing industrial sector. This push accelerated in 2015 after the Obama administration increased exports<\/a> from the United States in liquified natural gas. Since then, industry has grown substantially<\/a> \u2014 launching what some consider an \u201cindustrial renaissance.\u201d Today, Corpus Christi is the largest liquified natural gas export in the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, not every resident is thrilled about the industrial boom \u2014 especially when it comes to water usage. Industrial facilities, such as refineries and petrochemical plants, use about 50 to 60% of Corpus Christi\u2019s total water supply, according to local officials. The city uses about 100 million gallons a day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Air Liquide Corpus Christi. (Antranik Tavitian for Straight Arrow)<\/p>\n

Klein pointed to the city promising 25 million gallons a day to ExxonMobil in 2017 as an example of an over-extention of water demands.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe city is going to oversell our water supply and we already did,\u201d Klein said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re here now because they oversold the supply. If we plan on building a desalination plant, well then Exxon should pay for, not 70%, not 80 \u2014 100%.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Klein\u2019s frustrations grew when Corpus Christi City Council approved a voluntary exemption<\/a> in 2018 that would allow industry to opt into a surcharge rather than restrict their water usage during certain drought stages. The surcharge sets aside funds every month to aid the city in finding a solution to the water shortages.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But for some like Dan Herrington, a Padre Island resident running for a city council spot this November, industry and Corpus Christi are so interconnected, he believes curtailing water supply from facilities could spur citywide consequences. Herrington told Straight Arrow he worries if the city stops providing water to these companies, they could leave town.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dan Herrington, candidate for city council, poses for a portrait in Corpus Christi. (Antranik Tavitian for Straight Arrow)<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we have been very quick to vilify industry when industry literally affects all of us in Corpus,\u201d Herrington said. \u201cOur port is one of the leading LNG exporters in the world so literally the world needs Corpus Christi to have water. We have to solve this problem in a way that makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Herrington supports desalination plants, including the one in Hillcrest, for which, he noted, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has already approved permits.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve spent so much time arguing and kicking the can down the road, which is exactly what we\u2019ve done with this desalination project,\u201d Herrington said. \u201cIf we don\u2019t have enough water, industry is not going to come.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Concerns for the Harbor<\/p>\n

Desalination is out of the question for Claudia Rush, the pastor at Brooks AME Worship Center, the last remaining church in Hillcrest. From its front windows, Rush can see Citgo Refinery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the other community churches have left due to industrial development, Rush does not plan to go anywhere anytime soon. She knows, as much as the residents know, that the church is a gathering place for the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Pastor Claudia Rush poses for a portrait at the Brooks AME Worship Center in Corpus Christi. (Antranik Tavitian for Straight Arrow)<\/p>\n

This community includes the Hillcrest Residents Association \u2014 an organization that has historically raised alarm bells over industry in the area. On a recent Wednesday morning, Rush met with community advocate Armon Alex and Lytle, who wore a shirt that said, in part, \u201cPray for Hillcrest. Don\u2019t Prey on Hillcrest.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA good amount of young people are leaving the area because this is all they see around them,\u201d Alex told Rush. \u201cWhat happens if we further put an additional nail in the coffin if they approve something like desalination?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Alex is a member of the Corpus Christi City Council\u2019s Watershore and Beach Advisory Committee and despite the TCEQ permits, has advocated for another study looking at the wide-range impact desalination discharge will have on the ecosystem. The facility will pump a highly salinic liquid called brine back into the bay.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a statement, Corpus Christi public information manager Robert Gonzales said that \u201cthe City has actively engaged with Hillcrest neighborhood leaders and residents,\u201d and \u201cwhile the Inner Harbor site has previously received necessary permits, the City Council is actively exploring and negotiating with private-sector partners for additional desalination solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Armon Alex, local activist, poses for a portrait at the Brooks AME Worship Center in Corpus Christi. (Antranik Tavitian for Straight Arrow)<\/p>\n

How Do Cities Find New Water Sources, Besides Desalination?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had scientists and experts, including myself, who have said this is going to be a bad case if we put it back into the bay, which we call the inner harbor.\u201d Alex said. \u201cYou could do it safely if there is enough mixing going around, but there aren\u2019t strong enough currents in the inner harbor or Corpus Christi Bay.\u201d<\/p>\n

The final study \u2014 called a far field report \u2014 should be published by June.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Desalination isn\u2019t the lone solution to the city\u2019s water crisis, said Alex. Water conservation and pulling from other sources could prove better options, Alex told Straight Arrow.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Alex is pushing to place the exemption fee program for industry on the election ballot this November. The measure needs 11,000 signatures by July 1 to be approved and they have about 5,000 as of late April. From there, Alex hopes residents will vote to reverse the exemption fee program and drive industry to cut back during drought.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On this, the city is firm. Gonzales said that \u201cthe funds, approximately $6 million annually, are restricted for use in developing new, long-term water supply projects\u201d and if removed \u201cthe immediate revenue used to fund new water sources would need to be replaced by other funding mechanisms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Corpus Christi Bay in Corpus Christi. (Antranik Tavitian for Straight Arrow)<\/p>\n

Klein and Herrington both separately pointed to the Mary Rhodes Pipeline as one possible short-term and long-term solution. The pipeline pulls water from Lake Texana, which fills from the Colorado River,<\/a> but has been under-utilized, said Klein. As of April, the pipeline provides 70% of the city\u2019s water supply.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Klein also highlighted evaporation as a concern worth addressing. The reservoirs that Corpus pulls from lose 50% of their capacity in a year due to water evaporating in the heat and sun. Floating solar panels\u00a0 \u2014 a relatively new technology used in California and New Jersey\u00a0 \u2014 can cut evaporation by 50 to 70%. However, the technology is new and didn\u2019t get traction at the city, Klein said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The city is also considering pulling water from the nearby Evangeline Aquifer, but has received pushback from residents and farmers in Sinton, Texas who are concerned<\/a> about their own water levels. City leaders are also developing water along the Nueces River with one area already supplying 4.5 million gallons a day of water from eight wells. Another well is expected to produce 17 million gallons per day by May.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, no matter what, Alex said, the main issue isn\u2019t necessarily finding new water or conservation strategies. It\u2019s how to direct the water toward residents and small businesses who need it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the solution doesn\u2019t include curtailments of the largest water users in our area, then those solutions are null and void,\u201d Alex said. \u201cYou\u2019re only putting tape on the cracks then.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And the future of Corpus Christi\u2019s cracks will serve as a national lesson. One way or another.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This story was originally published by Straight Arrow. May Mendoza is in need of water. But despite the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":288137,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27,29,28],"class_list":["post-288136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=288136"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288136\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/288137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=288136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=288136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=288136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}