CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The city asked residents to cut their water usage, and residents answered the call. However, industrial facilities have not cut back and used more water last year than the year before.
"They use it for processing of fuels, of plastics, of steel. And there's been no mandate from the city to mandatorily cut back reduction in water, and so they're continuing with their processes of making petrochemical products and fuels, and they really can't reduce consumption or they'll have to turn off operations," City Manager Peter Zanoni said.
The city has not ordered the industry to reduce its water usage. As for whether companies are trying to conserve, Zanoni said the city is largely taking their word for it.
"What they have told us, and we can't confirm it because we don't work there and we don't have access to their data, but what they have told us is that they've put in water saving technologies in recent years and some of them have demonstrated less water consumption," Zanoni said.
The city has ways to force cuts, including fines or shutting off water, but Zanoni said safety risks make that complicated.
"We have to be real careful because you're dealing with plants that are handling highly explosive materials, and if we're just out there in the middle of the night turning valves and the plant blows up, that's not a good scenario for anybody," Zanoni said.
Another problem is the city does not yet have an average water usage for these plants, which it would need if a water emergency happened.
"We are also working with them to determine their baseline water consumption. Their businesses are cyclical through the year. They have ups and downs depending on the season and depending if they're taken offline for what they call turnarounds, and so we're working with them to develop what would be considered a seasonal baseline," Zanoni said.
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