Who uses most of the Coastal Bend's water? Help us find out.

When Chisme Collective learned Corpus Christi's primary freshwater reservoirs were rapidly losing water, we requested hard numbers from Corpus Christi Water (CCW), the city’s publicly-funded water department.

We submitted a public information request for a set of spreadsheets that could be the start of a new interactive tool for Chisme supporters. We hope to be able to publicly track the water usage of all large volume users by company name.

Corpus Christi Water is the primary water provider for residents and public services, commercial businesses and a wide variety of water-intensive industrial projects in the Coastal Bend. They sell water wholesale to the San Patricio Municipal Water District (SPMWD) and the South Texas Water Authority.

About 95% of Coastal Bend region manufacturing demand occurs in Nueces and San Patricio counties, and both counties anticipate substantial growth in the future, according to the Texas Water Development Board’s regional water plan. Of these industries present in the region, chemicals and petroleum refining are the largest water users.

The public needs a comprehensive understanding of all of Corpus Christi Water’s customers and their water usage. It will cost $2,636 to obtain the full list of customers and their water usage, according to a quote the City gave us following a public information request.

Chisme Collective is run by volunteer writers, editors and content creators and stays online with the help of monthly subscribers and one-time donors. We don’t have $2,636 to spend on spreadsheets. Anything helps, please donate if you can or become a subscriber. <3

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Who is the Chisme Collective? We're a grassroots news organization based in Corpus Christi, Texas. The collective of twelve writers, artists, organizers and former newspaper reporters was born from a deep dissatisfaction with the local news landscape. We are dedicated to confirming chisme that is important to marginalized chismosxs. We intend to tell stories that re-shape the local narrative that currently reinforces the status quo and enables those in power to operate with impunity.

Check us out!