Corpus Christi is running out of water. No, that’s not an exaggeration. After several years of continuous drought, the city is now expected to have demand outpace supply by 2028 – a level one water emergency. And that’s only thanks to heavy spring rains, which pushed that prediction back from just this May.
Reservoirs are bouncing back, but less than six months ago, they were less than eight percent full. In March of 2024, it was 30 percent. While the emergency has been delayed, the problem is not going away.
Enter Prop B, the citizen-led Fair Water Amendment.
What is the Fair Water Amendment?
For years, tensions between Corpus Christi residents and industry leaders have flared over water. In the region, industrial demand accounts for more than half of the region’s water use. City officials have caught fire from both sides, with companies threatening to leave if the problem isn’t fixed. Now residents are calling on those same companies to pay their fair share.
In August 2026, the city council voted 6-2 to approve a special election for Proposition B after receiving a petition with nearly 13,000 signatures. The Fair Water Amendment, a coalition of local community groups, says Corpus Christi is the only known city in the world with an exemption program that allows “big industrial users to buy their way out of otherwise applicable drought surcharges and water conservation requirements.” Meanwhile, residents, small businesses, schools, and hospitals must all conserve water or face surcharges during drought conditions.
If Prop B is approved by voters, it would eliminate and prohibit those types of programs and require industries to begin paying those surcharges after a five-year notice period. For companies like ExxonMobil, Occidental Chemical and Valero, Inside Climate News reports it would add millions of dollars in fees next time the reservoirs fall below 30 percent.
Under the proposal, a Stage 2 drought would have a surcharge of $3.00/thousand gallons, and at Stage 3 it would double to $6.00/thousand gallons. If Corpus Christi reaches its water emergency, the surcharge would be $12/thousand gallons.
The Fair Water Amendment says its proposal “ensures that no single class of water user can shift drought costs or conservation obligations onto everyone else, and that City Hall manages our most critical public resource responsibly and transparently.”
Opposition to Corpus Christi’s Prop B
Critics say there could be legal challenges. Because Corpus Christi supplies water to its entire seven-county region, this could mean rate increases for more than 20 other cities and towns.
“They don’t report to me or this City Council. They’re whole and separate entities, so we can’t set their rates for them,” Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni told the city council. “You don’t have the authority to do that.”
Then there’s funding. The exemption program allows industrial water users to pay the city a monthly fee of $.31/thousand gallons. While exempt from drought surcharges, the money funds “water projects and infrastructure” at the tune of $6 million/year. Zanoni told the city council that, if lost, this revenue would potentially have to come from raising water rates for commercial, residential, and large-volume customers.
Other criticisms contend these surcharge rates belong in the Drought Contingency Plan, not the city charter, because the charter will make it harder for future city councils to respond to water needs. In addition, the current city attorney is concerned Prop B could violate a state law that prohibits municipal charter amendments related to climate change.
City councilmember Gil Hernandez calls that a stretch, as reported by the Texas Tribune.
“Even though I disagree with the contents of the amendment. I’m not going to do acrobatic acts to try and make this climate change.” Hernandez said.
Prop B Heads to Corpus Voters in November
To get on the ballot, the petition required 5% of registered voters. Mayor Pro-tem Kaylynn Paxson called it quite the feat:
“This was a lot of signatures,” Paxson told the city council. “This is something that doesn’t happen every day. I am very proud and amazed to say that this actually took place.”
If there are court challenges, Prop B includes a severability clause. This means if any single provision is struck down, the others remain in effect. The Fair Water Amendment Coalition says this is because it just wants “Corpus Christi’s water future to be decided by the people.”
What’s fair? Regardless of the final tally, that decision rests with voters on Tuesday, November 3. Need help finding your polling location? Visit our nonpartisan Voter Hub for all your voting needs.
