CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — A former Nueces River Authority employee has been indicted on 10 felony counts of tampering with government records after a state investigation found irregularities in official water sampling documents submitted on behalf of multiple South Texas communities.
Marisa Juarez was arrested on Monday. She faces 10 counts of tampering with a governmental record to defraud or harm, a state jail felony. One count was filed for each water system jurisdiction involved. Her bond was set at $30,000.
The charges allege that Juarez falsified microbial water sampling forms submitted on behalf of water systems the NRA serves under contract in Fowlerton, Driscoll, Jourdanton, McMullen County, Poth and Premont. The alleged offenses occurred between February and July 2024.
A licensing gap at the center of the case
Texas regulations require that individuals collecting drinking water samples hold proper water operator licenses issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Records obtained by KRIS 6 News reveal the NRA's primary licensed sampler left the agency on February 9, 2024. That employee was, with one exception, the only NRA staff member to collect water samples during the entire 2023 calendar year.
After his departure, records indicate that Juarez — who did not hold a Class A, C, or D water operator license during her employment at the NRA — continued to be listed on sampling forms as either the sampler or courier.
NRA Executive Director John Byrum's name then appears as the sampler on 25 forms between June 26 and August 26, 2024, for water systems in Driscoll, Premont, Poth, Jourdanton, Fowlerton and McMullen County. Byrum holds a water and wastewater license.
However, Byrum previously told KRIS 6 News he does not collect water samples in his role at the NRA.
"No, I do not," Byrum said when asked directly. "I have a water and wastewater license and have done that in the past, but not here at the NRA." He described his role as "mostly administrative."
Asked to explain why his name appeared on 25 sampling forms during that period, Byrum declined, writing in an email that he "cannot comment on matters concerning personnel issues." KRIS 6 News followed up, clarifying that the questions concerned agency policies, regulatory compliance and public accountability — not personnel matters. Byrum did not respond.
KRIS 6 News also asked the NRA how it maintained adequate licensed staffing levels after its primary sampler departed in February 2024, what quality assurance measures were in place to verify samples were collected by qualified individuals, and whether water systems had been reimbursed for services that may not have met regulatory requirements. Byrum did not address any of those questions.
How the investigation began
The irregularities came to light when Corpus Christi Water, which tests samples collected by the NRA on behalf of smaller regional water systems, grew suspicious about water sampling documentation. City officials flagged a form signed by someone they believed was no longer employed by the NRA and reported their concerns to TCEQ, which launched a formal investigation.
TCEQ ultimately referred 38 cases of tampering with a public document to the Nueces County District Attorney's office. A grand jury returned 10 indictments against Juarez — one per jurisdiction.
Nueces County District Attorney Jimmy Granberry previously said his office coordinated with district attorneys in other counties before moving forward.
"Because the water testing was done at a lab in Nueces County we have jurisdiction over those cases, but we are reaching out to the district attorneys in the counties in which these samples were allegedly taken to get their input on how to proceed," Granberry said.
Each count of tampering with a government document is a state jail felony carrying a maximum penalty of two years in prison.
A KRIS 6 News analysis of microbial reporting forms obtained through open records requests found that 41 of 103 water sampling forms submitted by the NRA in 2024 were problematic — either signed by unlicensed individuals, former employees who had already left the agency, or people who records indicate did not actually collect the samples. That represents approximately 40 percent of all forms submitted that year.
The indictment comes as Byrum faces separate internal allegations. In March 2026, NRA Chief Operating Officer Travis Pruski — a 12-year veteran of the agency — submitted a letter to the board alleging that Byrum presented inaccurate water sales figures to both the NRA board and Corpus Christi City Council, directed staff not to communicate with board members, and jeopardized a $30 million regional flood mitigation grant.
Speaking at a Flour Bluff business association luncheon in April, Byrum declined to address the specifics of Pruski's allegations but signaled confidence in his position.
"I can't wait for where I can tell my story," Byrum said. "That's an HR issue, I can't go into it. But I'll tell you, I'm not having trouble sleeping tonight. I've got work in my file that will exonerate us."
Gov. Greg Abbott called for a thorough investigation. The NRA board voted to hire outside attorney Kelli Cubeta to conduct an independent review of Pruski's allegations.
