Residents of a Texas city are running out of water due to huge energy plants hoarding the supply, according to officials.
Big name companies, including Exxon Mobil and Tesla, have gone on to call South Texas their home in recent years so they can scoop up cheap energy, land and copious amounts of water.
Over the past 20 years, the companies have shelled out billions of dollars to build massive plants that use up tons of water to turn fossil fuels into gasoline, and other products like jet fuel.
And in recent years, these corporations have pushed further with the move to electric vehicles and batteries. In doing so, they refine lithium to make the batteries and produce plastic pellets.
All of this has severely impacted locals in Corpus Christi, a coastal city about two hours outside of San Antonio.
An active drought has taken over the area that is home to about more than 500,000.
The city anticipates it won’t be able to meet its water demand within the next 18 months, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The city’s water supply not only serves the big companies, but is also the source for residents across seven counties.
And the excess use of water is not only affecting locals, but the companies that guzzle it all away.
Soon, they could also see a water shortage that could then trickle down to layoffs and a pause in the industry.
Meanwhile, residents are just trying to do the best they can with what they have while also preparing for the worst.
Many are trying to financially prepare for booming water prices and also keep their lawns from running dry.
According to Mike Howard, chief executive of Howard Energy Partners, the water situation ‘is about as dire as I’ve ever seen it.’
Howard, who runs a private energy company that owns multiple facilities in the area, said his powerful business can’t even make it through because of the lack of water.
‘It has all the energy in the world, and it doesn’t have water,’ he said.
Corpus Christi might not be the only location in the state to be impacted by the drought, as its refineries provide products to markets and regional airports in San Antonio, Austin and Dallas, Texas.
They also provide supplies to Mexico, as Corpus Christi sits approximately 150 miles from the border.
Hellbound and Down 