Corpus Christi Water Crisis: PETA Says Dietary Fix Can Help Keep the Taps Running
For Immediate Release:
March 20, 2026
Contact:
Hannah Nelson 202-483-7382
With Corpus Christi officials predicting the city may be just two months away from a water emergency, PETA is preparing to run an urgent message throughout the city urging everyone to do their part to help conserve water by choosing vegan meals. Because animal agriculture uses massive amounts of water, guzzling 36 to 74 trillion gallons per year in the U.S. alone, eating vegan is a smart choice.
“Animal agriculture drains water faster than a leaky faucet, but getting the meat, dairy, and eggs off your shopping list is one of the simplest ways to protect precious resources and animals,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “Raising cattle, chickens, and other animals for the table is a cruel and costly business, but it’s also water-use-intensive, and that’s a recipe for disaster.”
Water is used for all parts of animal agriculture—from growing feed crops and managing animal waste to cleaning massive, filthy farms and slaughterhouses and filling scalding-hot tanks used to remove animals’ hair or feathers after workers slaughter them. According to the United Nations, livestock production is the leading cause of ocean dead zones, water pollution, species extinction, and habitat destruction. Runoff from meat industry operations also pollutes rivers and lakes and can contaminate groundwater with viruses and bacteria.
In addition to saving water, each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year, dramatically shrinks their food-related carbon footprint, and slashes their risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity. PETA’s free vegan starter kit is filled with tips to help anyone looking to make the switch.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
