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Call to Action

Texas Public Comment Opportunity

On Feb. 23, 2024, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) announced it had issued a draft water rights permit to the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority (LNRA) for construction of a dam and reservoir on the Lavaca River that would divert up to 31 billion gallons of water per year for municipal, industrial, and mining uses, including at Formosa’s Point Comfort plant.

Facts

  • The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality needs to hear your input on plans to withdraw more water from the Lavaca River.
  • TCEQ issued a draft permit allowing the Lavaca Navidad River Authority (LNRA) to construct a dam on the Lavaca River and divert water into a proposed off-channel reservoir near the Formosa Plastics plant.
  • Existing water rights allow for 74,500 ac-ft of fresh water to be diverted from Lake Texana every year. TCEQ’s draft water rights permit would allow for an additional 96,022 ac-ft to be diverted every year.
  • LNRA’s two main water customers are the City of Corpus Christi and Formosa Plastics.
  • Formosa Plastics has been a bad neighbor to all those who love, respect, and depend on the bay. In 2019, Formosa Plastics was fined $50 million for dumping plastic pollution into the bay. Formosa Plastics agreed to zero discharge of plastic from the facility as a result of the lawsuit, however since June 2020, they have faced 579 violations and have been fined over $15 million. Currently, their penalties are more than $1 million per month. This company simply does not deserve to consume more of Texas’s precious water resources.

In the news

New reservoir will fuel petrochemical expansion on Texas coast – Texas Tribune, March 2024

FPC USA Texas site issued draft water-use permit despite past violations – Plastics News, March 2024

Microplastics a Big Problem a New Film Warns – NYTimes, March 2024

Action

  • Tell TCEQ (permit number: WRPERM 13728) how more water withdrawals will impact you and request a public meeting.
  • Public comments (permit number: WRPERM 13728) on the proposed permit can be submitted at least until March 25, 2024.

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