The City of Corpus Christi has given approval to policies and water allocations which would go into effect if the city officially declares a Level 1 Emergency.
A declaration could come as early as December 2026 per recent projections, according to a news release from the city. If that happens and curtailment occurs, customers’ water allocations — including those in San Patricio County who get their water from the city — could be cut by 25% from their baseline, according to the release.
During a Level 1 Water Emergency, the city said the curtailment percentage is 25%. Each customer’s water allocation equals their baseline, reduced by the curtailment percentage. The San Patricio County Municipal Water District, which serves area municipalities such as Portland, Taft, Ingleside, Aransas Pass, Odem, Mathis, Rockport and more, gets its water from the city of Corpus Christi. The residential water customer baseline for such residential customers is 8,000 gallons a month, with the allocation to be set at 6,000 gallons a month.
The city said residential customers will not be subject to violations or enforcement actions for exceeding their water baseline or allocations, while citations will apply only to prohibited uses. Surcharges of $4.00 per 1,000 gallons over the allocation and $8.00 per 1,000 gallons over the 8,000 baseline or the individually-assigned baselines (for multi-family, commercial, large volume, and wholesale customers) will be applied, according to the release, if customers go over.