Severe Water Shortages Threaten Corpus Christi and the Colorado River States

Sun, 03 May 2026 18:40:00 +0200

This summer, the United States is facing serious water crises in both local and regional contexts. Corpus Christi, Texas, is approaching a Level 1 drought emergency due to water demand exceeding supply, with projections suggesting municipal water could run out by next year. Surface water sources like Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Corpus Christi are critically low, and industrial use, particularly from a major plastics plant, heavily strains local resources. Meanwhile, the Colorado River, a vital water source for 40 million people across seven states, faces a historic low in snowpack and record-high temperatures, severely reducing river flow and threatening hydropower generation at Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Ongoing disputes over water allocation under the 1922 Colorado River Compact exacerbate the crisis, with potential legal conflicts looming if upper basin states fail to deliver their required share to lower basin states. Experts emphasize that climate change and delayed policy res