Corpus Christi is running out of time to solve a water shortage it had years to address. After a 15-hour council meeting on June 2, the city voted 7-2 to push back a decision on the $978.8 million Inner Harbor desalination plant until September 1, even as state projections show mandatory water restrictions arriving in early 2027.
Two of the city’s main reservoirs hit historic lows in March 2026. The desalination plant is fully permitted and approximately 60% designed, yet it remains unbuilt with fewer than eight months before projected restrictions begin.
“Corpus Christi is a victim not because of lack of water. They’re a victim because of a lack of ability to make a decision.”
Gov. Greg Abbott, March 2026
After last week’s vote, Abbott’s chief of staff Robert Black accused council members of choosing to “bicker, blame, and hide behind excuses and ‘studies’ rather than take action.” Abbott had already threatened in March to have the state “take over and micromanage that city.”
Texas has already committed substantial funding to the project. The state provided a $2.75 million planning loan in 2017, $222 million more in 2020, and $535 million in 2022, though only $10 million of that final tranche has been disbursed. Black put the total state commitment at more than $800 million across Corpus Christi water projects.
$535 million committed by the state in 2022 for the desalination plant. Ten million dollars has been disbursed.
The standoff has entered the 2026 governor’s race. Democratic candidate Gina Hinojosa criticized Abbott’s approach, calling for the governor to act “as a partner with local communities, bringing together state and federal resources to get this right.” She also proposed an executive order requiring industrial users to cut back water consumption when supply is at risk and to fund long-term solutions.
Industrial water use sits at the center of the dispute. Large-volume customers, including Valero Energy Corp. and ExxonMobil, consume more than half the city’s water supply. Valero donated $25,000 to Abbott’s campaign this year; ExxonMobil donated $15,000 in 2024.
Council Member Gil Hernandez, who made the motion to delay, argued the plant would not address the current shortage because construction takes approximately three years. The city’s short-term strategy relies on the Evangeline Groundwater Project, which has drilled more than a dozen wells in Nueces County, with plans for nearly a dozen more near Sinton that have stalled due to objections from local water users.
The September 1 council deadline lands fewer than four months before the 2027 restriction window opens. Neither the governor’s office nor the council has announced a funded construction schedule.
What You Can Do Now
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Call Governor Abbott’s office at (512) 463-2000 and demand the state release the remaining uncommitted portion of the $535 million already allocated for the Corpus Christi desalination plant. Ask for a specific disbursement timeline tied to construction milestones, not a takeover threat.
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Contact your Texas state legislators through the Texas Legislature’s Find Your Legislator tool and ask them to call for a special hearing on Corpus Christi water infrastructure funding before the legislature recesses. The September 1 council deadline and the 2027 restriction window make delay politically costly.
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Corpus Christi residents: contact your city council member at the City of Corpus Christi’s council directory and ask for a binding construction vote before September 1. Ask each member on record whether they support the Inner Harbor project and what their alternative funded plan is if they do not.
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Ask both governor candidates for specifics. Contact Abbott at (512) 463-2000 and Hinojosa through ginaforgovernor.com/contact. Ask each to name a dollar commitment, a disbursement date, and a construction start date, not just a governing philosophy.
Sources
- Corpus Christi’s delayed water response bubbles up to Texas governor’s race — Texas Tribune (2026-06-12)
Texas Tribune: Corpus Christi’s Delayed Water Response Bubbles Up to Texas Governor’s Race
Texas Water Development Board: State Water Planning Authority and Financing Programs
City of Corpus Christi: City Council Meeting Records and Water Infrastructure Updates