This story was produced in partnership with Inside Climate News and the Texas Newsroom, the state’s network of public radio stations.
Voters in the industrial port city of Corpus Christi, Texas, have approved a citizen-led petition to impose significant water use fees on local refineries and chemical plants during future droughts.
The measure passed by a two-to-one margin despite industry opposition—a clear message to industrial interests in a city known for crude oil exports.
“The people have woken up,” said Sylvia Campos, a Corpus Christi City Council member who supported the measure. “We overcame all that money.”
The referendum was part of a significant election across Texas, a state known for conservative politics and as a hub of the nation’s energy sector, where Democratic challengers won every statewide office.
Texas’s governor-elect, state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, described her politics as “economic populism.”
“In the past, politics were seen as right versus left. I don’t think those labels apply now,” Hinojosa told the New York Times. “Things are stacked against working people.”
According to Paul Gottemoller, a political science professor at Del Mar College, partisan lines didn’t define political divisions over the water fee referendum.
“It’s a business versus populism issue,” Gottemoller said. “There are populist and business sentiments on both political sides.”
The measure, an amendment to the city’s charter, would impose surcharges on major water users like ExxonMobil, Valero, and OxyChem when reservoirs drop below 30% capacity.
Refineries and chemical plants consume over half of the Corpus Christi region’s water. The reservoirs nearly dried up this year.
The amendment, effective after a five-year grace period, may face legal challenges from industry groups, said Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni.
“The city will face significant legal challenges,” Zanoni said.
Industry groups spent hundreds of thousands supporting candidates and policies focused on water issues, Zanoni said.
A Message to Businesses
The amendment “raises concerns about the message Corpus Christi sends to businesses considering investments here,” wrote Dolly Trolley, a local industry promoter, in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. “Businesses require dependable infrastructure.”
Groups like the Coastal Bend Coalition did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Texas Campaign for the Environment, a key player in the petition drive, stated that the amendment’s victory is “proof the community is tired of being plundered.”
“Industry will likely try to block it legally,” the press release stated. “TCE stands ready to defend Corpus Christi voters’ decision.”
Earlier this year, as an unprecedented water crisis loomed, groups including TCE and others gathered nearly 13,000 signatures for the charter amendment.
Heavy rainfall in July replenished reservoirs, leading the Corpus Christi City Council to approve the petition for the November ballot, against city staff advice.
“This victory is more than a water policy win,” said Armon Alex, of TCE. “Residents can control resources and decisions impacting their lives.”
The region’s largest water users currently pay about $4.50 per 1,000 gallons of water. The amendment would increase the price based on reservoir levels, up to $12 during a “water emergency.”
For facilities using millions of gallons daily, this would result in significant additional costs. The largest user, a plant owned by ExxonMobil and Saudi Basic Industries, consumed 13.5 million gallons per day in 2025.
2018 Plan Nullified
Unlike current drought fees, the amendment automatically imposes fees at set reservoir levels.
It also nullifies a 2018 agreement, which exempted industries from surcharges if they paid a $0.31 per 1,000 gallons fee, intended to fund a desalination plant.
The exemption fee would yield $6 million annually, insufficient for the desalination plant’s $70 million yearly cost, leading City Council to abandon the project.
The exemption left Corpus Christi without the means to enforce conservation among the largest water users amid a five-year drought that depleted reservoirs to less than 8% this May.
“Let’s give the industry a huge break on water, and during a drought,” said Michael, a local voter, on Tuesday. “It just seemed kind of silly.”
The charter amendment ends the exemption, replacing it with automatic surcharges in drought conditions.
“The amendment reflects the current political climate,” said Perry Fowler, executive director of the Texas Water Infrastructure Network. “The area still needs a reliable, long-term water supply.”
Original Story at insideclimatenews.org