Elizabeth Troval

It's weeks away from hurricane season here on the Texas Gulf Coast.

And it couldn't come soon enough for people here in Corpus Christi like Bob Paulson.

That's because Corpus Christi needs the rain desperately.

The local lake and reservoir are at just 8%.

If the city doesn't get enough rainfall by September, there are plans for widespread 25% cuts to water usage.

Businesses like the Texas State Aquarium are preparing.

I'm in a back room with Aquarium CEO Jesse Gilbert, who is showing me where water from the Corpus Christi Bay flows in.

This is the water the sharks and stingrays swim in.

While most of the aquarium's water comes directly from the ocean, they still use fresh water to operate their bathrooms, eateries, and splash park.

Back in his office, Gilbert tells me they're undergoing plans to decrease their freshwater use by 30 percent.

As the city's biggest tourist attraction besides the beach, I ask him if he worries if the brand of Corpus Christi is hurt by this crisis.

And he has a longer-term worry, attracting aquarium staff who may not want to move to a city in a water crisis.

Directly across the ship channel from the aquarium, I talked to Port of Corpus Christi CEO Kent Britton.

The port here is busier than ever.

Crude oil, LNG, diesel, jet fuel, gasoline.

What the world is in short supply of right now moves through this energy hub.

These exporters are an engine of the local economy.

Many are also big water users, which is why Britain says the city needs to find more sources of water.

Even if the city isn't enforcing large-scale curtailment yet, the looming water crisis... It's going to limit our ability to bring in large-scale industry in the future.

I asked him if he's seen companies decide not to come to Corpus because of the water issues.