The City Council in one of Texas’ largest petrochemical and refining hubs allocated over $200 million on Tuesday for a plan to drill new water wells as a more dire picture of the city’s historic water crisis emerged.
Water officials in Corpus Christi said at a public meeting that the city could reach a Level 1 water emergency as soon as May, moving up the threshold from November. Under that emergency, water curtailments would be required and could start at a 5 percent reduction of total water demand.
The city is seeking to help address the shortage with the Evangeline Groundwater Project, which could see Corpus Christi Water move to drill more than 20 water wells at a cost of about $665 million.
Council members on Tuesday green-lighted just over $208 million for the Evangeline project, but a legal challenge could delay construction by years or force the project to shut down altogether — reflecting a worsening outlook for the Corpus Christi region in South Texas. City officials and business leaders are weighing a range of options to secure access to more water supplies amid a sustained industrial boom and drought conditions.
