New documents obtained by KRIS 6 News reveal a more extensive pattern of potential violations at the Nueces River Authority (NRA) than previously reported, with approximately 40% of water sampling forms submitted in 2024 either bearing signatures of unlicensed individuals, employees who had resigned, or signed by people who did not actually collect the samples.
An analysis of microbial reporting forms obtained through open records requests from the City of Corpus Christi and employment records from the NRA shows that 41 of 103 forms submitted in 2024 were problematic — either submitted by individuals who lacked required licenses to collect drinking water samples, individuals who no longer worked at the authority, or contained signatures of individuals who did not actually collect the samples.
The findings come as the Nueces County District Attorney’s Office reviews 38 criminal cases of tampering with government documents against the agency’s former Quality Assurance Officer, as KRIS 6 News first reported last week.
Investigation reveals questioned signatures on water documents at Nueces River Authority
The documents show Executive Director John Byrum’s name appears as the sampler on 25 forms between June 26 and August 26, 2024, for multiple water systems including the cities of Driscoll, Premont, Poth, and Jourdanton, as well as Fowlerton Water Supply Corporation and McMullen County water districts. A former NRA employee is listed as the courier on these forms…