South Texas cities like Corpus Christi, Sinton, and Orange Grove continue to argue over water supply and various projects this year, but it's not really anything new when you look back on the history of water development in the greater state of Texas.
Angelo State University history professor, Dr. Kenna Archer will review two centuries' worth of Texas water development at a free and public forum at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi on Thursday.
She spoke with KEDT about her presentation titled, "When the Well Goes Dry: A History of Water Feast, Water Famine, and Hydrological Development," where themes are strikingly similar to water concerns in 2026 despite being from the 1800's.
The discussion highlights topics like water development trends in the 1820s, the history of Southwestern and western rivers, visual signs of water famine, and the impact of navigation and shipping on water infrastructure in Corpus Christi and Texas.
"There will be times when people might want to ask, 'what does navigation have to do with the fact that we are close to running out of water in Corpus Christi?' But I think at a deeper level, there will be a lot of moments when people are struck by the similarities between what you see historically and what you see going on right now in Corpus," Archer said.
Over 95 percent of Texas is currently under at least abnormally dry conditions. One-hundred percent of South Texas is in either severe, extreme or exceptional drought conditions; that is according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a collaborative effort between the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Archer said key decades that shaped Corpus Christi's current water infrastructure were the 1950s and 60s, thanks to a severe drought and the state's focus of broadening navigation, shipping and deep water drilling.
"The drought of the 1950s, by most metrics, was more severe than the 1930s," she said. "It was in that context that you see so many of the state's reservoirs being constructed in the 50s and 60s. And that's true in Corpus as well, if you look at replacing La Fruta Dam that was built in the 1920s with a larger structure. So with Choke Canyon, with Lake Corpus Christi, both you see reflected in that this sort of shift towards post war concerns with reclamation and water security, and that reflects the drought of the 1950s."
In 2026, Archer said it's important for city leaders and others living in and around Corpus Christi to keep their finger on the pulse of current happenings.
"Cultivate awareness of water issues and be involved in those decision making processes. So go to local city council meetings. Stay in contact with politicians and with city leaders, because there will always, always be economic considerations that shape development."
Archer's presentation is free and open to the public and will begin at 6 p.m. at the University Center Legacy Hall.
Copyright 2026 KEDT