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Corpus Christi Water Crisis

Corpus Christi Residents and Businesses Subsidized Industrial Water Bills for Years, Officials Say

A judge will hear arguments this week in an $80 million dispute over the Texas city’s water rates for chemical plants and refineries.

By Neena Satija, Dylan Baddour

Steam billows from Valero’s West Refinery outside Corpus Christi on April 29. Cooling towers at industrial facilities can evaporate more than 1,000 gallons of water per minute. Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News
“The water plan has to be realistic,” said Larry Soward, a former executive director of the Texas Water Commission. Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News

Texas’ Refusal to Plan for Climate Change Created a Crisis in Corpus Christi

By Dylan Baddour

John Byrum, executive director of the Nueces River Authority, at the Texas Water Association conference on June 18 in Horseshoe Bay. Credit: Jon Shapley/Inside Climate News

How a Tiny Texas River Agency Plans to Build the Largest Desalination Plant in the Country

By Arcelia Martin, Dylan Baddour

Water sits 30 or more feet below the base of a fishing pier at Lake Corpus Christi on April 28. Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News

Corpus Christi Postpones Water Emergency to December as ‘Super El Niño’ Offers an End to Drought

By Dylan Baddour, Emily Salazar

Hanson Professional Services vice president John Michael at his office in Corpus Christi on Monday. “Let’s hold all of our regional system hostage while they wait for their data center,” Michael said. Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News

Corpus Christi Leaders Believe Data Center Plans May Be Behind Delays to Emergency Water Supply

By Emily Salazar, Dylan Baddour

Elida Castillo, mayor of Taft, Texas, speaks at a city park on March 31. Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News

Disaster Declarations Ripple Through South Texas Amid Water Crisis

By Dylan Baddour, Neena Satija of KUT and The Texas Newsroom, and Emily Salazar of KEDT

Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni speaks during a City Council meeting on Tuesday. Source: City of Corpus Christi livestream

Corpus Christi Cuts Timeline to Disaster as Abbott Issues Emergency Orders

By Dylan Baddour

Corpus Christi’s largest remaining reservoir, Lake Texana, is currently 55 percent full and projected to hit 30 percent this summer. Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News

Water Shortage May Hit Corpus Christi Within Weeks

By Dylan Baddour

James Dodson is looking at the camera with a serious expression. On the table in front of him are maps and documents. Behind him are windows, the shades open, trees beyond them.

After a Decade of Missteps, a Texas City Careens Toward a Water-Shortage Catastrophe

By Dylan Baddour

Along Texas' Gulf coast, the oil and gas infrastructure in Corpus Christi. Credit: Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Corpus Christi Folds on Its Desalination Gamble

By Dylan Baddour

A view of downtown Corpus Christi on the South Texas coast. Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News

Corpus Christi Launches Emergency Water Projects as Reservoirs Dwindle and Industrial Demand Grows

By Dylan Baddour

Elida Castillo outside Exxon’s new plastics plant, eight miles from her family home in San Patricio County. Credit: Dylan Baddour

Corpus Christi Sold Its Water to Exxon, Gambling on Desalination. So Far, It’s Losing the Bet

By Dylan Baddour

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