CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Governor Greg Abbott is criticizing how Corpus Christi city leaders have handled the city's ongoing water crisis and says the state may need to step in.
During a campaign stop Tuesday, Abbott was asked whether he was monitoring the situation. He responded with sharp criticism of local leadership before reaffirming the state's commitment to residents.
"We're fully committed to making sure the Corpus Christi residents are going to have the water they need to live their lives like the rest of the people in the state of Texas," Abbott said.
It is not the first time Abbott has suggested the state should be involved in addressing Corpus Christi's water situation. In October 2022, he told KRIS 6 News the state was already engaged — and issued a warning to local leaders.
"We are working with Nueces County as well as the city of Corpus Christi to make sure that they will get together and agree on a desalinazation plan. If not then the state of Texas will do it for them but the state of Texas working with the Texas Water Development Board will make sure that the greater Corpus Christi area is gonna have the water that it needs in order to be able to double its population," Abbott said.
We reached out to the governor's office and asked for information on how he has followed through on that commitment — made more than three years ago — to work with the city on desalination. The governor's press secretary responded with a statement that, in part, says the state has committed millions of dollars for groundwater wells and upgrades to the Mary Rhodes Pipeline. The statement also mentions that the Texas Water Development Board has committed to funding the Inner Harbor desalination plant. That information had been reported by KRIS 6 News several weeks ago.
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