CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Corpus Christi got welcome news Tuesday when the city’s projected water emergency was delayed to September 2027 after recent rains boosted some of the region’s reservoirs.
The city was initially bracing for a Level 1 emergency — the point when water demand is projected to be six months from exceeding supply — to surface in December.
Even better for residents and businesses, earlier this year — when levels at Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon, the city’s two main reservoirs, were at their lowest — the city was preparing for supply to run short this summer.
The latest projection buys the city significantly more time to find new water sources, but city leaders warned that it’s not time to slow down.
“This is not a point in time where we are to let up or to get comfortable,” Nick Winkelmann, chief operating officer of Corpus Christ’s water department, told the City Council on Tuesday. “We must continue to execute our plan to diversify the water supply.”
The city is currently debating a seawater treatment plant and is expected to make a decision on the nearly billion-dollar project on Sept. 1. To meet water demand, the city earlier this year drilled dozens of wells in a field in Nueces County and is working on a project to recycle wastewater.
Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo said when she read the new projected date of a Level 1 emergency, she thought it was a typo.
“This is such good news,” she said, adding: “While the recent rains have bought us some time, we have to stay focused on our long-term water supply. This is a huge, huge milestone.”
Significant gains have been seen in Lake Corpus Christi, where capacity jumped from 9% in April to 30%. Rains, however, missed Choke Canyon, the city’s biggest reservoir, which has hovered around 8% capacity for the past few months. Despite its lower levels, Choke Canyon has about the same amount of water as Lake Corpus Christi.
The third reservoir the city uses, Lake Texana, rebounded from nearly 50% capacity in April to 100% earlier this month, although it is known for filling up and depleting quickly.
If a Level 1 emergency is declared, all customers of the city’s regional water system would be required to cut use by 25%.
Residents’ monthly baseline use at 8,000 gallons per household, limiting them to 6,000 gallons if an emergency is triggered. Under a proposal before the council, every 1,000 gallons used after that would cost an additional $4. Beyond 8,000 gallons, every 1,000 gallons would cost another $8.
Commercial customers, such as businesses and apartment complexes and industry, would have their baselines decided case-by-case based largely on average monthly usage from 2021-23.
“God bless these rains,” said Council Member Sylvia Campos.
This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.
