{"id":1923,"date":"2026-08-05T04:57:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T04:57:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=1923"},"modified":"2026-08-05T04:57:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T04:57:05","slug":"greg-abbott-blasted-corpus-christi-for-its-water-crisis-a-river-authority-he-has-power-over-is-falling-apart-propublica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=1923","title":{"rendered":"Greg Abbott Blasted Corpus Christi for Its Water Crisis. A River Authority He Has Power Over Is Falling Apart. \u2014 ProPublica"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Greg<\/div>

<\/p>\n

\n

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott responded with fury after Corpus Christi officials announced in March that this Gulf Coast region of more than 500,000 people could face unprecedented restrictions as its water supply dried up.<\/p>\n

The state had already committed over $750 million in low-interest loans to the city\u2019s plans for a desalination plant, a project that would add 30 million gallons a day to the region\u2019s water supply. But the project had gone nowhere.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what they did? They squandered it, and then they changed their plan and then they were indecisive about what to do,\u201d Abbott said of city officials in a heated response to a reporter\u2019s question at an unrelated March press conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Corpus Christi leaders have to do is make a decision,\u201d Abbott said. \u201cWe can only give them a little time more before the state of Texas has to take over and micromanage that city and run that city to make sure that every resident who goes to the water tap and turns it on, they are going to be getting water out of their faucet, not because of what local leaders are doing but because of what the state of Texas will do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even as Abbott was demanding that Corpus Christi get its act together, another agency, whose entire board Abbott appoints, was also coming undone.<\/p>\n

In late June, board members of the Nueces River Authority learned that funding for a desalination plant the agency hopes to build, separate from the city\u2019s, is months from running out<\/a>. Additionally, the agency was spending more than it was taking in, and other contracts that had kept the authority financially afloat had been canceled.<\/p>\n

Although the river authority\u2019s project is a critical part of efforts to expand the region\u2019s water supply, so far, the governor hasn\u2019t threatened to take over the agency\u2019s day-to-day operations. He\u2019s consistently placed the burden of responsibility on the NRA board.<\/p>\n

But Abbott has previously demonstrated that he can use his authority to compel other agencies to act: In March, he instructed a different river authority not to reduce Corpus Christi\u2019s water allocation from Lake Texana. He also had the state\u2019s environmental agency waive regulations so the city could move groundwater from Nueces County, which includes Corpus Christi, to its water treatment plant.<\/p>\n

As far back as October 2022, while he was campaigning for reelection, Abbott said in an interview with KRIS 6 News<\/a> that the state was working with the city and Nueces County on a desalination plan. If the city did not pursue the project, \u201cthen the state of Texas will do it for them,\u201d the governor said. But the state is not currently involved in the city\u2019s desalination project.<\/p>\n

The governor appoints all 21 members of the NRA\u2019s board and designates its president. With a majority vote of the river authority board, Abbott also can remove any board member for inefficiency, neglect of duty or misconduct. He has no such control over the Corpus Christi City Council.<\/p>\n

Political scientists and water policy researchers who reviewed the situation told KRIS 6 News that Abbott\u2019s decision to pressure Corpus Christi while leaving the NRA to address its problems largely on its own reflects a selective use of power. While recent rains have helped delay, though not prevent<\/a>, an immediate water emergency for Corpus Christi, experts say the region still needs to develop new infrastructure projects to secure its long-term water supply.<\/p>\n

Should water supplies drop below certain levels, Corpus Christi residents and businesses \u2014 including oil refineries and petrochemical plans \u2014 would be required to cut water use by 25 % under the city\u2019s current Level 1 water emergency plan<\/a>. Households would be capped at using 6,000 gallons of water per month, landscape watering would be banned and there would be surcharges imposed on those who exceed their allotments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe city of Corpus Christi needs a lot of help, it doesn\u2019t need threats, and the Nueces River Authority is in way over its head,\u201d said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University. \u201cThe water crisis in Corpus Christi and beyond in Southeast Texas is serious, and it\u2019s not clear that anyone has the breadth of authority and resources to deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"A<\/figure>\n
\"An<\/figure>
Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened Corpus Christi\u2019s leadership over the city\u2019s failure to move forward with a planned desalination plant, but he has largely refrained from publicly criticizing the leadership of the Nueces River Authority, even though he appointed its board. The NRA has also faced struggles in getting its planned desalination project up and running.<\/span> Brenda Baza\u0301n for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What Power Does Abbott Have?<\/h3>\n

The public troubles<\/a> for the NRA bubbled up as far back as March, when the agency\u2019s then-chief operating officer sent a letter to board members<\/a> accusing Executive Director John Byrum of making \u201cmaterially inaccurate\u201d statements about the authority\u2019s finances related to the planned desalination project.<\/p>\n

KRIS 6 reached out to the governor\u2019s office in the spring about the accusations.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery member of a Texas board or commission should uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in service of the people of Texas,\u201d Abbott press secretary Andrew Mahaleris wrote in a statement<\/a>. \u201cGovernor Abbott expects a thorough investigation into the allegations brought forth and for the Board to act swiftly once the investigation is complete.\u201d<\/p>\n

The board eventually cleared<\/a> Byrum of \u201cintentional wrongdoing,\u201d but the NRA declined to release a copy of the investigation to KRIS 6 in response to a public information request; the Texas office of the attorney general has not yet ruled on whether the report can be withheld. The news organization asked the governor\u2019s office for his response to the investigation and the board\u2019s decision, but he did not respond.<\/p>\n

The river authority\u2019s unstable finances became even more apparent at a board meeting in late June, when the agency\u2019s chief financial officer confirmed the NRA could be out of money for the desalination project by the end of August if certain contracts didn\u2019t materialize. Since then, three of the agency\u2019s desalination contracts, which the authority was depending on to stay afloat, expired and have not yet been renewed. KRIS 6 News asked the governor\u2019s office whether it was aware of the agency\u2019s continuing problems. Mahaleris again referred the news organization back to board members.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe NRA Board oversees the agency\u2019s operations and finances,\u201d Mahaleris wrote June 27. \u201cThe Governor appoints board members to the state\u2019s water authorities but does not manage their day-to-day operations. \u2026The Governor expects accountability from appointed boards.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Abbott has no direct legal authority over the NRA\u2019s policy decisions, he can use the power of his office to publicly pressure them, Ron Beal, a retired Baylor University School of Law professor whose work on Texas administrative procedure has been routinely cited by the Texas Supreme Court, wrote in a response to KRIS 6 News.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can say that when each member\u2019s term ends, if the water project is not on its way, they will absolutely NOT be re-appointed to the job!\u201d Beal wrote. \u201cIn other words, he cannot force them legally to follow his orders, but there is no doubt he has the bully pulpit and if anyone can pressure everyone to work together NOW and get it done ASAP, it is the Governor!!!!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Texas
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at a press conference in June<\/span> Brenda Baza\u0301n for The Texas Tribune<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a written statement to KRIS 6 News for this story, Abbott again placed responsibility on both the Corpus Christi City Council and the NRA board but did not address most of the specific questions asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the temporary reprieve granted by recent rain, the Governor\u2019s expectations for the region have not changed. \u2026 The Corpus Christi City Council created this crisis through repeated failure to act on desalination,\u201d Mahaleris wrote. \u201cThe Council remains responsible for securing reliable water for their citizens. The Nueces River Authority Board is responsible for the agency\u2019s finances\u201d and the desalination project.<\/p>\n

The governor\u2019s office did not answer questions about whether Abbott has taken steps to coordinate among the city, the NRA and other stakeholders, or about what \u201caccountability from appointed boards\u201d looks like in practice.<\/p>\n

Even as the governor\u2019s office has publicly distanced itself from the NRA\u2019s operations, it has fought to keep from releasing its own communications with the river authority\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n

KRIS 6 News filed a public information request on July 2 seeking emails, text messages, meeting notes and correspondence between the governor and members of his staff and Byrum, the NRA executive director, and NRA board President Eric Burnett. The request covered the river authority\u2019s desalination project and any state funding, grants or loan guarantees related to those efforts.<\/p>\n

The governor\u2019s office confirmed on July 17 that it had records that met the parameters of the request. It did not release them. Instead, the office asked the attorney general\u2019s office for permission to withhold the documents. The office argued that the records relate to a proposed water facility project for which state funding may be sought and that releasing them would \u201cseriously disadvantage Texas,\u201d but did not explain how. Abbott\u2019s office also said the records reflect policy advice between the governor\u2019s office and representatives of another state agency; this type of communication can sometimes be withheld under the state\u2019s public information law.<\/p>\n

The river authority has struggled to keep up with the demands of the desalination project, which is estimated to cost $6.4 billion. Design work on the pipeline that\u2019s supposed to deliver the desalinated water stalled because the river authority hasn\u2019t offered the company building it a new contract. Byrum, the executive director, has claimed President Donald Trump promised funding for the project, but the river authority has never actually made a formal request to the White House.<\/p>\n

Jillson pointed to a fundamental mismatch between the NRA and the scale of the desalination project it\u2019s trying to complete. The NRA staff is small, with an annual budget of up to about $5 million. It\u2019s governed by unpaid, part-time board members who historically meet quarterly to provide broad direction.<\/p>\n

He said the governor should direct someone in his office to determine whether the NRA has the personnel and expertise to execute a project of this scale and, if it doesn\u2019t, to act on that finding. Without that kind of direct link between the governor\u2019s office and the agency, Jillson said, \u201cwhat you\u2019re saying is, \u2018We expect these guys to oversee themselves.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Byrum wrote in a response to KRIS 6 News that the authority \u201chas the experience to oversee\u201d the project and the option to hire additional staff if required.<\/p>\n

The river authority did recently secure one large contract for the project: In May, the NRA selected Israel-based IDE Technologies<\/a> as its development partner for the desalination plant.<\/p>\n

Abbott toured a desalination facility in Israel run by IDE in January 2016.<\/a> At the time, IDE said Abbott \u201cexpressed his intention to partner with Israeli technology companies such as IDE to develop and deploy water solutions for Texas,\u201d as reported by Wastewater Digest<\/a>.<\/p>\n

KRIS 6 News asked if the governor, or anyone in his office, was involved in the NRA\u2019s selection of IDE.<\/p>\n

Byrum wrote that the \u201cGovernor\u2019s office was not involved.\u201d KRIS 6 News asked the governor the same question, but his spokesperson did not respond.<\/p>\n

\"An
The Nueces River Authority has proposed constructing a desalination plant on Harbor Island, a flood tidal delta on the outskirts of Corpus Christi.<\/span> Brenda Baza\u0301n for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Takeover Question<\/h3>\n

Abbott has a record of curbing the power of Texas cities like Corpus Christi to govern themselves. In 2015, he signed a bill that overrode a voter-approved fracking ban in Denton in North Texas and blocked cities from banning or restricting oil and gas drilling. In 2023, he signed the so-called \u201cDeath Star\u201d bill, which preempted city authority over eight policy areas, including labor, natural resources, insurance and property.<\/p>\n

Republican state Rep. Denise Villalobos, who represents the Corpus Christi region, previously told KRIS 6 that Abbott directed her to draft a bill<\/a> that would create a state-level water infrastructure authority, something she compared to the state\u2019s highway department.<\/p>\n

If adopted by the Legislature when it meets next year, such an authority would take many decisions about future water supplies away from locals.<\/p>\n

Villalobos did not comment for this story. Abbott\u2019s office did not answer questions about the proposed legislation.<\/p>\n

Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni told KRIS 6 this summer that his office had looked into how a takeover would work and found no examples in Texas of the state stepping in to run a water operation or water corporation. The closest parallel, he said, is the state\u2019s ability to take over ailing school districts.<\/p>\n

Abbott\u2019s threat to take over Corpus Christi\u2019s desalination project runs into other unsettled legal territory the governor\u2019s office has not addressed publicly, said Gabriel Collins, a lawyer and research fellow at Rice University\u2019s Baker Institute for Public Policy who studies water and energy policy.<\/p>\n

Under Texas law, surface water, meaning rivers and lakes, is public property, giving the state a clear line of authority. Water pumped from the ground is considered private property, belonging to the person who owns the land above it, and is regulated locally.<\/p>\n

Desalinated seawater fits into neither category. Collins said a legal case could theoretically be made that water drawn from within 3 miles of shore falls under state jurisdiction, but he said he isn\u2019t aware of anyone making that argument in this context.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would be a massive shift in water policy in the state of Texas,\u201d Collins said.<\/p>\n

But the legal question may be less important than a practical one, Collins said. Would a state takeover of Corpus Christi water regulators, even if it could be done, actually make a difference?<\/p>\n

\u201cOr would you be better off resolving those fundamental problems by having the state be a catalyst and a facilitator financially that helps the local political authorities solve a problem?\u201d Collins said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott responded with fury after Corpus Christi officials announced in March that this Gulf Coast region of more than 500,000 people could face unprecedented restrictions as its water supply dried up. The state had already committed over $750 million in low-interest loans to the city\u2019s plans for a desalination plant, a project…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1924,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260608-Kerrville-Screwworm-Presser-BB-15_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2000,1501","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[3623,798,300,3625,3624,270,1249,3622,367,81,2567,74],"class_list":["post-1923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-abbott","tag-authority","tag-blasted","tag-christi","tag-corpus","tag-crisis","tag-falling","tag-greg","tag-power","tag-propublica","tag-river","tag-water"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1923"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1923\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}