The Port of Corpus Christi is the third-largest exporter of crude oil in the world. Without enough water, there\u2019s no way to process it. And without processing, there\u2019s no oil \u2014 or economy.<\/p>\n
CHAOS IN COUNCIL\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, people are still arguing over who\u2019s to blame \u2014 and who has to sacrifice first.<\/p>\n
Across several recent public meetings, tempers flared as residents, activists, council members, and industry representatives traded accusations. At a recent city council meeting, one pastor opened his comments with a prayer.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me just offer a prayer of repentance on behalf of our city,\u201d said Abundant Life Fellowship Church Pastor Rick Milby, head bowed. \u201cOpen the heavens and fill our watershed,\u201d he continued as a fellow pastor rubbed his temples.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
KRIS6<\/p>\n
Residents praying for rain during city council meeting on September 23, 2025<\/p>\n
When pastors start praying for rain, it\u2019s clear things are bad.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am so sick of this area being sacrificed to the highest bidder,\u201d 34-year-old Amanda Breland said.<\/p>\n
Another interrupted to defend industry, calling greed an unfair accusation.<\/p>\n
By the end of one council meeting, three people were arrested. Mayor Paulette Guajardo called for order. And the drought \u2014 the real source of everyone\u2019s frustration \u2014 continued outside, unchanged.<\/p>\n
THE CITY\u2019S SURVIVAL GUIDE <\/p>\n
Enter the Drought Contingency Plan<\/a>, a four-tier system designed to help the city stretch every last drop.<\/p>\n KRIS6<\/p>\n The Drought Contingency Plan<\/a> is a road map designed to help the city conserve water supply, minimize adverse impacts of water supply shortages, identify and manage a drought or state of water emergency and preserve and protect public health, welfare, and safety.<\/p>\n Corpus Christi is on track to reach dangerously low water levels by late 2026, the point where the city is 180 days away from no longer being able to meet demand. It starts off mildly enough \u2014 friendly reminders and reduced watering days.<\/p>\n Today, the city sits in Stage 3, where water use must drop by 15% citywide.<\/p>\n Things are starting to crack, literally and figuratively. Landscaping companies are losing business. Home foundations are shifting in the dry soil. And watering your dead lawn is no longer just wasteful \u2014 it could result in a Class C misdemeanor.<\/p>\n The final stage, called a \u201cWater Emergency,\u201d or \u201ccurtailment,\u201d requires a 25% cut across the board \u2014 residents, businesses, and industry alike.<\/p>\n INDUSTRY\u2019S RESPONSE<\/p>\n For Corpus Christi\u2019s industrial sector \u2014 which includes some of the nation\u2019s largest oil and chemical refineries \u2014 water isn\u2019t optional. It\u2019s essential. For example, to make gasoline and diesel, millions of gallons are needed daily to wash, cool, and process crude oil and petroleum, natural resources found in underground reservoirs.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there\u2019s an allocation at 25%, some plants may have to shut down right away,\u201d said Bob Paulison, Executive Director of the Coastal Bend Industry Association. \u201cThey don\u2019t have the ability to scale back.\u201d<\/p>\n Industry leaders warn that large-scale cutbacks could cost jobs and hurt the local economy. \u201cIf you have to curtail industry, you\u2019re losing lots of jobs,\u201d said Darcy Schroeder, a Public Affairs Manager for Valero Energy. \u201cIt\u2019s that domino effect.\u201d<\/p>\n City leaders echo that concern. \u201cI know they use most of the water,\u201d said Council Member Carolyn Vaughn. \u201cBut that\u2019s just the way it is. If we want to grow and have economic development, we have to have industry.\u201d<\/p>\n WHAT\u2019S THE PLAN?<\/p>\n Corpus Christi sits on miles and miles of water \u2014 in theory, it could secure the city\u2019s supply for decades. In practice, it\u2019s still years and over a billion dollars away.<\/p>\n Corpus Christi has already spent millions in the pursuit of the Inner Harbor Desalination project.<\/p>\n That plan stalled in September as the city council rejected a motion<\/a> that would have allowed its contractor, Kiewitt, to move forward design plans to 60 percent completion.<\/p>\n And last week, the city terminated its agreement with Kiewit<\/a>.<\/p>\n Guajardo this week said the proposal is not dead, and she will put it back on the agenda<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, like the councilman said, no one has ever said we\u2019re done with desal. It\u2019s coming back \u2014 I\u2019ll put it on the agenda myself. I don\u2019t need five people or four people or three people to do it. I have a lot of the public behind me,\u201d Guajardo said at Tuesday\u2019s council meeting.<\/p>\n Inner Harbor Desalination isn\u2019t the only proposed solution.<\/p>\n In recent months, council meetings have erupted over whether to fund new studies, approve a $2.7 million proposal for a yet to be built seawater desalination project<\/a>, or pursue a brackish groundwater deal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Environmental groups warn of harm to marine ecosystems. Residents question transparency. And others fear the city is already too financially stretched to deliver.<\/p>\n The South Texas Water Authority<\/a>, has also entered the conversation \u2014 pitching long-term contracts that could reshape who controls Corpus Christi\u2019s water future.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the city\u2019s water department is undergoing leadership changes. The recent resignation of Chief Operating Officer Drew Molly<\/a> left a key vacancy as the drought intensifies.<\/p>\n THE CLOCK IS TICKING<\/p>\n Corpus Christi isn\u2019t Flint, Michigan \u2014 not yet. But the parallels are unsettling: infrastructure issues<\/a>, competing interests, and a community divided over how to protect its most basic resource.<\/p>\n If nothing changes, Corpus Christi could become a major industrial hub that is forced to ration water. In the end, this isn\u2019t a movie or a metaphor. The stakes are real — it\u2019s not just a drought \u2014 it\u2019s a drama that impacts everyone at the local, state and federal levels, with ripple effects across the global economy.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n