CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — The chief operating officer of the Nueces River Authority is alleging that Executive Director John Byrum presented inaccurate water sales figures to the NRA board and to Corpus Christi City Council, directed staff not to speak with board members, and jeopardized a $30 million flood mitigation grant through repeated delays.
Travis Pruski wrote a letter dated March 27, 2026, to the NRA Board of Directors outlining the allegations. KRIS 6 News has obtained a copy of that letter and verified its authenticity.
KRIS 6 News reached out to Byrum, who declined to comment, citing personnel matters.
Pruski has served the NRA for more than twelve years, first as a board member and later as its chief operations officer. In the letter, he describes coming forward as a matter of obligation — and said he is aware it may cost him his job.
"I am fully aware that coming forward with this information may carry serious professional consequences, and I accept that without reservation," Pruski writes. "I did not write this letter because it was easy — I wrote it because it was right."
The central allegation in Pruski's letter concerns figures Byrum reportedly presented at the August 8, 2025, NRA board meeting.
According to the letter, Byrum told the board that 36 million gallons per day of desalination capacity for the Harbor Island desalination plant had been sold and that corresponding revenue was already in the bank. When a board member questioned the number, Byrum confirmed it.
Pruski said that he was solely responsible for water sales to customers outside the City of Corpus Christi and that internal tracking records showed only 21 MGD was committed and paid for at that time. The 36 MGD figure, he alleges, was not accurate until November 4 — nearly three months after the board meeting.
Pruski further alleges Byrum repeated those figures at Corpus Christi City Council meetings in September and October 2025, and that Byrum's current presentation materials — still used in public settings — contain inaccurate information about partner cities and water districts.
"The board made significant financial decisions based on information that did not reflect operational reality," Pruski writes.
The NRA board had earlier in 2025 approved water contract rates and allocated $4.2 million for contracts with communities facing urgent water scarcity. The City of Corpus Christi later signed an agreement with the NRA, paying close to $3 million for an option to secure 50 million gallons per day from the Harbor Island desalination plant when it becomes operational.
The August 8 board meeting agenda, reviewed by KRIS 6 News, also included an item to amend Byrum's salary. A sitting board member who spoke to KRIS 6 News on condition of anonymity said the board voted in open session at that meeting to raise Byrum's salary to $340,000.
Pruski also alleges Byrum directed him not to speak with board members at the August meeting or at any future meeting — a directive Pruski says would have prevented the board from receiving accurate information from the staff responsible for the programs being discussed.
Pruski writes that he subsequently brought his concerns to Board President Eric Burnett, who assured him he would look into the matter. He writes he never received a follow-up.
On March 19, 2026, Pruski alleges, Burnett called and directed him to stop raising questions and defer entirely to Byrum without exception.
"Asking questions, verifying data, and pushing back when information does not align with operational reality are not optional functions of the COO position — they are its core responsibilities," Pruski writes.
Pruski's letter raises concern about a $30 million flood mitigation and early warning grant, backed by pledged cost-share support from more than 20 counties totaling more than $5 million. He alleges that after making repeated requests over three months for interlocal agreements needed to formalize county partnerships, the documents submitted for the grant were found to be out of compliance with Texas Water Development Board requirements — placing the grant at risk of loss or a delay of more than a year.
The grant took on added urgency, Pruski writes, after devastating flooding struck the region in the summer of 2025.
"The people who suffered through that flooding deserve better," he writes.
Pruski describes what he calls a consistent pattern of unresponsiveness to regional partners. He alleges that McMullen County Judge Teal — whom he describes as the NRA's largest utilities customer — personally requested a call from Byrum after news stories surfaced in October 2025. According to Pruski, Byrum responded that he had issued a written statement and considered the matter closed.
Pruski also alleges his staff made repeated requests for executive-level assistance with regulatory challenges facing the City of Driscoll before TCEQ and that those requests went unanswered.
The Nueces River Authority is aware of concerns raised by an employee that have recently been circulated.
As this is a personnel-related matter with potential legal implications, the Authority cannot comment on specific details at this time. However, the Board of Directors has engaged independent legal counsel to conduct a thorough and objective review.
The Nueces River Authority takes all such concerns seriously and is committed to ensuring that they are fully evaluated in a fair and responsible manner.
Operations and project work across the region continue without interruption, and the Authority remains focused on delivering reliable water solutions for the communities it serves.
Additional information will be provided as appropriate following completion of the review.
A board member speaks
A sitting NRA board member who spoke to KRIS 6 News on condition of anonymity, citing fear of removal from the board, said Pruski's allegations reflect concerns shared widely within the organization.
"There are so many things in that letter that are spot on — and many things beyond what is spot on," the board member said.
The source described Pruski as professional and appropriate in his conduct and work ethic, and raised questions about whether the NRA — with a total operating budget of approximately $5 million — has the organizational capacity to manage a multi-billion dollar desalination project.
"John (Byrum) has been fast and loose with the facts in order to entice communities to pay advance money," the board member said.
The source told KRIS 6 News that NRA legal counsel has advised against holding any meetings until leadership has managed its response, and that the executive committee will meet to determine how to proceed.
A pattern of scrutiny
Pruski's letter comes as the NRA has faced mounting scrutiny over the past year.
A TCEQ investigation found falsified signatures on official water sampling documents submitted by the NRA, with 38 criminal cases pending against a former agency employee. The investigation found that microbial reporting forms bore signatures of individuals who authorities say did not actually collect the samples — including Byrum himself.
A follow-up KRIS 6 investigation found that approximately 40 percent of water sampling forms submitted by the NRA in 2024 were problematic — either submitted by unlicensed individuals, employees who had already resigned, or signed by people who did not actually collect the samples. Byrum's name appeared as the sampler on 25 forms between June and August 2024. Byrum previously told KRIS 6 News he does not collect water samples in his role at the NRA and declined to answer when asked directly whether he personally signed the forms.
The NRA also faced a procedural challenge earlier in 2025 after a February board meeting — at which members voted to authorize Byrum to negotiate the Harbor Island desalination lease — was found to have proceeded without the quorum required by the agency's own bylaws.
High stakes for the region
The allegations emerge at a critical moment for the Coastal Bend's water supply. The Port of Corpus Christi voted unanimously last July to lease 31 acres on Harbor Island to the NRA to build a desalination plant capable of producing up to 100 million gallons of fresh water daily.
Communities across the region are already in early negotiations with the NRA to secure treated water from the planned desalination facility as drought conditions strain local supplies.
Pruski writes in his letter that he believes the NRA can still fulfill its mission — but not under its current leadership.
"I firmly believe this organization can make a meaningful and lasting impact on the millions of people it serves," he writes. "However, based on everything I have witnessed, I do not believe the current Executive Director or Deputy Executive Director are capable of leading the Nueces River Authority in a manner consistent with its mission."
