CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, who represents the 34th Congressional District, is warning colleagues of worsening water conditions in South Texas, including water concerns in Corpus Christi.
During a Member Day meeting of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Gonzalez warned that declining lake levels pose a risk to the Port of Corpus Christi — a risk he said rises to the level of “national security.”
The Port of Corpus Christi is the largest energy export gateway in the United States and the world’s third-largest crude oil export port.
“This is a major impact and a national security issue for the country,” Gonzalez told fellow committee members Wednesday. “This city (Corpus Christi), the small community cannot sustain this type of investment. We need the federal government to step in.”
The investment Gonzalez is referring to is a desalination plant. "These projects will greatly improve South Texas’ long-term water security and are an essential part of our region’s drought-proof water strategy," Gonzalez wrote in his written testimony.
In November, Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni recommended the city pursue a new approach to revive the controversial Inner Harbor Desalination Project.
Corpus Christi officials warned Tuesday that the city’s water supply is operating with little room to spare as lake levels decline, rainfall forecasts weaken and key groundwater projects are not yet online.
Tuesday’s council meeting, showed Lake Texana already sits below last year’s levels. Projections indicate the reservoir could drop to about 50% by early spring, while water supply and demand are expected to remain closely matched for months at a time.
WATCH REP. VICENTE GONZALEZ'S FULL TESTIMONY HERE:
All of this on top of the November 2026 deadline, when the next trigger point occurs when the entire water supply system reaches 180 days from the point at which total water supply would no longer meet total water demand and a Level 1 Water Emergency would be enacted.
“We need potable water for the community and population of Corpus Christi and we also need the water resources to ensure we can export energy to the world and sustain our economic viability for the region," Gonzalez said.
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