“Once the announcement was made, we got about 200 calls,” said Shannon Hughes with Hebert Irrigation.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As Corpus Christi returns to Stage 2 water restrictions, residents are once again able to water their lawns and wash their vehicles on designated days. For one local irrigation company, the change has sparked an immediate increase in business.
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At Hebert Irrigation, Shannon Hughes said the announcement led to an overwhelming response from customers.
“Once the announcement was made, we got about 200 calls,” Hughes said.
Hughes said the increase in demand is a welcome sign after years of hardship brought on by drought conditions and stricter water restrictions.
“Before the drought, we were stable. We had our crews, we had seven crews, we had our vehicles. When we went into the drought, we had to lay off most of the company,” she said.
Now, Hughes said her team is working to accommodate as many customers as possible.
One of those customers is Crista Walton, who recently had a new sprinkler system installed. While she’s encouraged by the city’s improving water supply, she remains cautious about the future.
“I worry about, how long is it going to last if they don’t do anything else. So that’s what worries me. Are we going to be back in the same boat in a year or two,” she said.
Walton said her family found another way to keep their yard green during the drought.
“So we decided since none of the other options were going through the city council we would just put in a water well,” she said.
She said the investment has paid off.
“It is because whether we can water through the city or not, we can have a yard now. And this is probably the first time in three or four years that we’ve been able to have grass,” she said.
As more homeowners prepare to turn their irrigation systems back on, Hughes recommends checking the system before running it.
If something appears to be wrong, she advises homeowners to start by checking the manual before calling for service.
She said the more homeowners know about their irrigation systems, the easier it is to pinpoint potential problems.