Resident Groups Want Voters To Decide On Industrial Water Charges

A coalition of Corpus Christi community groups have kicked off a citizen-led campaign to put a proposed amendment to the City Charter on the November 2026 ballot, a measure that would fundamentally change how the City treats large industrial water users during droughts.

Currently the City allows heavy industries such as refineries and chemical plants to pay a fee of 31 cents per gallon on their year-round water use instead of facing much higher surcharges during drought – a fee that would now be $6.00 per gallon, in the current State 3 conditions. The program also exempts participants from complying with water curtailment requirements the City could otherwise impose, even if those requirements applied to all other users.

The proposal, dubbed the Fair Water Amendment (FWA), would end this special exemption, requiring industrial users to actually pay the standard drought surcharge rates and observe all conservation and water curtailment requirements. The FWA also requires the City’s wholesale customers to subject their large industrial customers to identical surcharges and curtailment obligations, delivering fairness across the entire regional water system.

Supporters say the FWA is a proposed reform to advance equity and sustainability as Corpus Christi copes with the prospect of long-term water scarcity. The petition drive, which aims to collect 10,000 voter signatures by summer, is being led by the groups For The Greater Good and the Texas Campaign for the Environment, and supported by Coastal Action Network coalition partners Hillcrest Residents Association, the Coastal Watch Association, Chispa Texas, and the Coastal Bend chapter of the Sierra Club.  On Wednesday, campaign leaders and supporters gathered on the steps of City Hall to announce the initiative and kick off the petition-gathering effort. 

Chloe Torres, Coastal Bend regional coordinator for the Texas Campaign for the Environment (TCE), opened with an impassioned appeal.  “We are living through unprecedented times. When it comes to the availability of the one resource that no living being can go without – water – we are in trouble, folks. We have tried to warn the City for nearly a decade, but their constant catering to high-volume water users would now puts our entire community in a precarious position. So, we are taking matters into our own hands with the Fair Water Amendment petition drive,” Torres said. 

Dr. Isabel Araiza, co-founder of For The Greater Good, echoed Torres’ sentiment and emphasized the long-term grassroots effort behind the new petition drive.  “Since 2016, our group has been advocating for a people-centered water policy. For years, we’ve actively advocated for an end to the drought exemption fee. We have come to the City Council countless times, and that has fallen on deaf ears year and year. Today our Western reservoirs are less than 10% full and still they’ve done nothing. So now it’s time for someone else – the voters of Corpus Christi – to decide if industry should begin paying and doing their fair share,” Araiza said.

District 2 City Councilmember Sylvia Campos also spoke in support of the proposal, saying: “We’re in a drought, and these big corporations are paying 31 cents for 1,000 gallons of water, and don’t have to cut back. That is irresponsible, and frankly immoral, and it’s time to end it. I’m asking for the good people and our beloved community to start signing these petitions.”

Thomas Cerwonka, co-president of the Coastal Watch Association, added his group’s endorsement to the effort. “This area is challenged with many environmental issues. But when it comes to water, we’re in crisis. This is an opportunity for our region to hold fully accountable the largest users, and the largest abusers, of our water. We need 10,000 signatures for this to go to the ballot, and I believe that we’ll see many more than that once it gets out there,” Cerwonka said.

Supporters of the Fair Water Amendment anticipate opposition, including from those who say that repealing the City’s exemption fee would harm industry and negatively impact the local economy.

Eli McKay, vice-chair of the Coastal Bend Sierra Club, responded saying: “If the FWA is approved, large industrial water users will have years to prepare for the end of the exemption and the requirement to pay fair drought surcharges. There is a long transition period for companies to plan ahead and adopt responsible conservation strategies. More importantly, a reliable water supply is foundational to long‐term economic development. The FWA ensures that all users participate equitably in managing drought conditions so that Corpus Christi can actually sustain growth, attract investment, and avoid crisis‐driven shortages that harm the entire economy.” 

Find more information about the petition campaign online at FairWaterAmendment.com.