The number of Coastal Bend communities declaring emergencies due to the looming water crisis is growing fast.
On Monday, officials in Rockport, a town of about 11,500 people located 30 miles north of Corpus Christi, became the latest to declare a water emergency as the Coastal Bend scrambles to grapple with a quickly dwindling water supply. The city, which lies along the shores of Aransas Bay, gets its water from the San Patricio Municipal Water District, which, in turn, buys its water from the city of Corpus Christi. However, a years-long drought is threatening to force mandatory curtailments of water use as soon as this fall, and that poses “a significant risk” to Rockport’s ability to supply its residents with water, officials said.
“Current drought conditions and projected supply shortfalls indicate that immediate action is necessary to conserve, manage, and supplement water resources,” Rockport Mayor Timothy Jayroe said in a news release on Monday, May 11…