“We have some of the best water in the world,” she said.
But for years, Marcelle, who is a Democrat, has warned of a looming crisis in the aquifer. Energy companies and big industry are drawing vast amounts of water. And the withdrawals are allowing salt water to move in, threatening the main source of drinking water for a growing population of more than half a million.
Marcelle has been a state legislator since 2016, and her first piece of legislation directly tackled the city’s imminent water crisis.
“Why not do what’s right for people?” she asked.
Her legislation died in committee. So she tried again the next year and the next and the next and the next.