CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — With reservoir levels dropping and no significant rainfall in sight, Corpus Christi officials warn the city could face a water emergency by November 2026 if current drought conditions persist.
The crisis has prompted contentious city council debates over a $1.2 billion desalination plant and other water alternatives.
This South Texas Town Is Running Out Of Water And The Whole Country Could Feel It
The city is currently under Stage 3 water restrictions, requiring a 15% reduction in citywide water usage. Violations can result in Class C misdemeanor charges.
Those restrictions come as the region’s two primary reservoirs, Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon Reservoir, continue declining toward historic lows.
Across Texas, drought has already forced major disruptions — from shuttered sugar mills, to cities like Beeville declaring local disaster emergencies.
The Port of Corpus Christi is the third-largest exporter of crude oil in the world. Without enough water, there’s no way to process it. And without processing, there’s no oil — or economy.
CHAOS IN COUNCIL
Meanwhile, people are still arguing over who’s to blame — and who has to sacrifice first.
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.
“Let me just offer a prayer of repentance on behalf of our city,” said Abundant Life Fellowship Church Pastor Rick Milby, head bowed. “Open the heavens and fill our watershed,” he continued as a fellow pastor rubbed his temples.
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Residents praying for rain during city council meeting on September 23, 2025
When pastors start praying for rain, it’s clear things are bad.
“I am so sick of this area being sacrificed to the highest bidder,” 34-year-old Amanda Breland said.
Another interrupted to defend industry, calling greed an unfair accusation.
By the end of one council meeting, three people were arrested. Mayor Paulette Guajardo called for order. And the drought — the real source of everyone’s frustration — continued outside, unchanged.
THE CITY’S SURVIVAL GUIDE
Enter the Drought Contingency Plan, a four-tier system designed to help the city stretch every last drop.
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The Drought Contingency Plan 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.
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 — friendly reminders and reduced watering days.
Today, the city sits in Stage 3, where water use must drop by 15% citywide.
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 — it could result in a Class C misdemeanor.
The final stage, called a “Water Emergency,” or “curtailment,” requires a 25% cut across the board — residents, businesses, and industry alike.
INDUSTRY’S RESPONSE
For Corpus Christi’s industrial sector — which includes some of the nation’s largest oil and chemical refineries — water isn’t optional. It’s 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.
“If there’s an allocation at 25%, some plants may have to shut down right away,” said Bob Paulison, Executive Director of the Coastal Bend Industry Association. “They don’t have the ability to scale back.”
Industry leaders warn that large-scale cutbacks could cost jobs and hurt the local economy. “If you have to curtail industry, you’re losing lots of jobs,” said Darcy Schroeder, a Public Affairs Manager for Valero Energy. “It’s that domino effect.”
City leaders echo that concern. “I know they use most of the water,” said Council Member Carolyn Vaughn. “But that’s just the way it is. If we want to grow and have economic development, we have to have industry.”
WHAT’S THE PLAN?
Corpus Christi sits on miles and miles of water — in theory, it could secure the city’s supply for decades. In practice, it’s still years and over a billion dollars away.
Corpus Christi has already spent millions in the pursuit of the Inner Harbor Desalination project.
That plan stalled in September as the city council rejected a motion that would have allowed its contractor, Kiewitt, to move forward design plans to 60 percent completion.
And last week, the city terminated its agreement with Kiewit.
Guajardo this week said the proposal is not dead, and she will put it back on the agenda.
“At the end of the day, like the councilman said, no one has ever said we’re done with desal. It’s coming back — I’ll put it on the agenda myself. I don’t need five people or four people or three people to do it. I have a lot of the public behind me,” Guajardo said at Tuesday’s council meeting.
Inner Harbor Desalination isn’t the only proposed solution.
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, or pursue a brackish groundwater deal.
Environmental groups warn of harm to marine ecosystems. Residents question transparency. And others fear the city is already too financially stretched to deliver.
The South Texas Water Authority, has also entered the conversation — pitching long-term contracts that could reshape who controls Corpus Christi’s water future.
Meanwhile, the city’s water department is undergoing leadership changes. The recent resignation of Chief Operating Officer Drew Molly left a key vacancy as the drought intensifies.
THE CLOCK IS TICKING
Corpus Christi isn’t Flint, Michigan — not yet. But the parallels are unsettling: infrastructure issues, competing interests, and a community divided over how to protect its most basic resource.
If nothing changes, Corpus Christi could become a major industrial hub that is forced to ration water. In the end, this isn’t a movie or a metaphor. The stakes are real — it’s not just a drought — it’s a drama that impacts everyone at the local, state and federal levels, with ripple effects across the global economy.