Tag Archives: desalinization

A couple of water stories

Posted on July 12, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Story #1: Texas’ Refusal to Plan for Climate Change Created a Crisis in Corpus Christi. A decade ago, Corpus Christi’s regional water plan projected shortages as soon as 2050. The next plan, released five years later, shortened that timeline to 2030. The next plan, … Continue reading →

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Corpus Christi and the Governor’s race

Posted on June 12, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Of course it’s an issue. Most things should be. Corpus Christi’s impending water crisis — and delayed action by city leaders — has become an issue in the race for Texas governor, with Gov. Greg Abbott threatening a state takeover … Continue reading →

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Corpus Christi kicks the can

Posted on June 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I dunno, man. A bitterly divided Corpus Christi City Council voted early Wednesday morning to delay a decision on reviving an almost billion-dollar water plant it had rejected nine months earlier. The 7-2 vote came at 2:20 a.m., almost 15 … Continue reading →

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The rain reprieve

Posted on May 23, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

You’re welcome, Corpus. A projection for when Corpus Christi expects to reach a water crisis was pushed back by three months after a wet April brought enough rain to delay an emergency but too little to quench a brutal drought. … Continue reading →

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It’s not just Corpus Christi

Posted on April 30, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I feel bad for these people. At least six small cities and towns in the Coastal Bend region of Texas issued disaster declarations in the last two weeks, begging not to be forgotten amid a spiraling water crisis. All attention lies … Continue reading →

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Two water stories

Posted on April 20, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

We’re not spending enough on increasing our water supplies. Texas communities will need to spend $174 billion in the next 50 years to avert a severe water crisis, a new state analysis revealed Thursday. That’s more than double the $80 … Continue reading →

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Drill, baby, drill (for water)

Posted on April 10, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Checking in on Corpus Christi and it surrounding areas. Dwindling levels in this region’s main reservoirs have triggered a rush on local aquifers as cities, towns, chemical plants and ranchers drill for water. The nearby city of Corpus Christi faces … Continue reading →

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So when might Corpus Christi run out of water?

Posted on March 21, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Could be sooner, could be later. Pick your projection. Corpus Christi leaders on Tuesday unveiled new projections suggesting that the city could be just two months away from triggering emergency water measures. At a marathon city council meeting that stretched … Continue reading →

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Abbott threatens to take over Corpus Christi

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

How would that work, exactly? Gov. Greg Abbott criticized Corpus Christi leadership Tuesday over its looming water crisis and warned that if local leaders do not take immediate action, the state may need to intervene to ensure residents and businesses … Continue reading →

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What happens if Corpus Christi runs out of water?

Posted on March 11, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

We may be on the verge of finding out. The imminent depletion of water supplies in Corpus Christi threatens to cut off the flow of jet fuel to Texas airports and other oil exports from one of the nation’s largest … Continue reading →

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El Paso’s wastewater recycling plant

Posted on March 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Dealing with our state’s water needs will require lots of different types of solutions. By 2028, El Pasoans will begin receiving water from a $295 million advanced water purification plant that will convert treated wastewater into drinking water, the first … Continue reading →

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Three water stories

Posted on January 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This lawmaker wants to fix Texas’ water shortage with desalination and billion-dollar pipelines The state lawmaker expected to carry out Gov. Greg Abbott’s “transformative” water reforms this year wants to earmark billions of dollars to develop new sources and fix … Continue reading →

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Who wants to sell Houston’s water to West Texas?

Posted on January 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I have questions. Gov. Greg Abbott is said to be exploring a plan to buy water from Houston and send it to West Texas — a potentially contentious idea that comes as he has teased “totally transformative” measures in the … Continue reading →

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The Corpus Christi desalination plant fight

Posted on October 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Texas regulators issued an environmental permit Thursday for the Port of Corpus Christi to build what could become the state’s first seawater desalination plant — but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may refuse to accept … Continue reading →

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When Houston is more like Austin

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

In a climate sense. Which is to say, drier because of climate change. A new study predicts that Texas’ climate is going to get drastically drier because of climate change. The journal Earth’s Future recently published the study looking at … Continue reading →

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Brazoria looks at desalinization

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Booming population growth plus greater upstream demands on their main water source equals thoughts of alternate water supplies. By the time the Brazos bisects Brazoria County on its way to the Gulf of Mexico, it’s all but tapped out, unable … Continue reading →

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Drinking water from the Gulf

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Well, there is a lot of water there. The wicked drought gripping Texas has made one thing clear to Bill West: There is not enough water to meet new urban demands and competing environmental needs. So in his search for … Continue reading →

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Who gets to use the water?

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a lot more demand for an increasingly limited supply. More than miles separate the rice farms of the Texas coast and the Highland Lakes, where the outward march of Austin is marked by each new house, strip mall and … Continue reading →

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Patterson talks desalinization

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson is getting the state into the Central Texas water game. Patterson’s office [announced Monday] that it has contracted with two water consulting firms to examine the feasibility of building a desalination plant between Austin … Continue reading →

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Desalinization and power plants

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has another story about desalinization in Texas, and reading it brings up a point that I don’t think gets enough attention. Interest in desalination surged more than a decade ago, when the technology became more efficient and cost-competitive, … Continue reading →

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San Antonio going for desalinization

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Another thing we’ll be seeing more of in the near future. The San Antonio Water System is now pumping salt water in southern Bexar County as it looks for new water sources for the city. Tuesday the utility gave a … Continue reading →

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The state of water in Texas

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman has a long story about the state of water in Texas and its outlook for the future. Short summary: We’re going to need more than what we’re capable of getting now, and it’s going to cost a lot … Continue reading →

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Two water stories

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The future of Texas’ water supply sure is a hot topic in the papers these days. I hope that continues after we start getting normal rainfall again. Story One is about desalinization: For El Paso and a growing number of … Continue reading →

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Farmers really worried about the drought

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise, and there’s not really much that can be done right now, but if this year was bad for farmers, next year could well be worse. Texas needs rain — and needs it quickly — to keep farmers and … Continue reading →

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Our long term water plan

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We’re in deep trouble if things continue as they are. Every five years, the Texas Water Development Board publishes a water plan for the state. The 295-page draft of the 2012 plan, published last week in the midst of the … Continue reading →

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Not a drop to drink

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I have two questions regarding this Trib story about the dire drought situation in Odessa. The city of Odessa, facing a dire drought situation, is looking to an unlikely example for help in finding water: the desert city of El … Continue reading →

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