Corpus Christi Faces Severe Water Crisis Amid Prolonged Drought

Major energy port city struggles to maintain water supply for residents and industry

Apr. 12, 2026 at 8:34pm

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A vast, desolate landscape painting in muted earth tones, with a cracked, parched ground stretching out to the horizon under a dramatic, hazy sky, conveying the overwhelming scale and melancholic mood of an extreme drought.The severe drought gripping Corpus Christi, Texas, exposes the fragility of the region's water resources and the need for long-term infrastructure investment.Corpus Christi Today

The Texas city of Corpus Christi is facing a severe water crisis due to a prolonged drought, threatening not only residential use but also the refineries and petrochemical plants in the major energy port. Years of drought have depleted the city's water reserves, and new water sources haven't arrived as expected, even as the city increased water sales to big industrial customers. City officials are scrambling to tap more groundwater and avoid an emergency that could force painful cutbacks for residents and industry.

Why it matters

Corpus Christi is closely tied to the oil and gas industry, producing essentials like fuel and steel for the U.S. and global markets. The water shortage could disrupt operations at refineries and petrochemical plants, impacting fuel supplies at a time when global tensions are already raising gas prices. The crisis also highlights the challenges cities face in balancing residential and industrial water needs during prolonged droughts exacerbated by climate change.

The details

Corpus Christi, a city of about 317,000 people, supplies water to nearby counties and is heavily dependent on its oil and gas industry. After the last drought in the early 2010s, the city approved a pipeline extension to bring in more water from the Colorado River and promoted conservation. However, the current drought has been so severe that the reservoirs never fully recharged, and a proposed desalination plant to remove salt from seawater has been delayed due to cost and environmental concerns. The city is now tapping into groundwater and hoping to get more through the Evangeline Groundwater Project, but these new sources come with their own challenges.

  • The current drought has dragged on for most of the past seven years.
  • The pipeline extension finally delivered its full capacity only last year.
  • The city could face a water emergency as early as May or as late as October 2026.

The players

Peter Zanoni

The city manager of Corpus Christi since 2019.

David Loeb

A former city council member who has wrestled with previous droughts.

Isabel Araiza

The co-founder of a grassroots group active on water issues in Corpus Christi.

Bob Paulison

The executive director of the Coastal Bend Industry Association.

Don Roach

The former assistant general manager of the San Patricio Municipal Water District, which has many industrial customers in the area.

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What they’re saying

“We just have not kept up with water supply and water infrastructure like we should have. And it's decades in the making.”

— Peter Zanoni, City Manager

“We are actively praying for a hurricane.”

— David Loeb, Former City Council Member

“If the then-city council had followed through on that, we would have had that plant up and running by now.”

— Peter Zanoni, City Manager

“It'll be an unbelievable disaster. When you cut the cooling water off to most of these industries, they just have to shut down. There's no other way around it.”

— Don Roach, Former Assistant General Manager, San Patricio Municipal Water District

“Companies have stopped landscaping, they recycle water for essential cooling needs and they are looking for alternative water sources.”

— Bob Paulison, Executive Director, Coastal Bend Industry Association

What’s next

The city is hoping the Evangeline Groundwater Project, which involves a pipeline and about two dozen wells, can provide enough additional water to head off a declared water emergency as soon as November 2026. However, the project still needs state approval, and there are concerns about the long-term impacts of increased groundwater pumping.

The takeaway

The water crisis in Corpus Christi highlights the growing challenges cities face in balancing residential and industrial water needs during prolonged droughts exacerbated by climate change. The city's reliance on the oil and gas industry means the consequences of a water shortage could ripple through the national and global economy, underscoring the need for cities to invest in drought-proof water infrastructure and promote conservation across all sectors.