A projection for when Corpus Christi expects to reach a water crisis was pushed back by three months after a wet April brought enough rain to delay an emergency but too little to quench a brutal drought.<\/p>\n
The city was initially bracing for a Level 1 emergency \u2014 the point when water demand is projected to be six months from exceeding supplies \u2014 to hit by September.<\/p>\n
Rain that the community has long prayed for fell last month, delaying the Level 1 projection to December and buying the city a few more months to plan for the expected emergency.<\/p>\n
Still, the delay provided \u201csome very encouraging news,\u201d Nick Winkelmann, chief operating officer of Corpus Christ\u2019s water department, told the City Council on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The new projection came largely because Lake Texana, one of three reservoirs the city depends on, jumped from 55% capacity last month to 76%. The two other reservoirs the city depends on have shrunk to historic lows: Lake Corpus Christi is a little above 10% capacity, and Choke Canon is at 7% capacity.<\/p>\n
Winkelmann added that \u201cthere is a beneficial forecast this week, so we need to remember that these numbers do not include any future rain.\u201d<\/p>\n
For months, the city has been scraping by with a patchwork of temporary solutions \u2014 including more than a dozen recently drilled wells \u2014 to supply enough water for its 318,000 residents, businesses and a robust petrochemical corridor, plus another 200,000 residents served in a seven-county area.<\/p>\n
Industrial demand accounts for around 60% of Corpus Christi\u2019s water demand.<\/p>\n
City leaders have been discussing an emergency curtailment plan for months, and the City Council is set to vote on a final plan at its June 2 meeting. The water department proposes requiring customers \u2014 ranging from residents to oil refineries \u2014 to cut water use by 25% during a Level 1 emergency.<\/p>\n
The water department set residents\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
Commercial customers, such as businesses and apartment complexes, would have their baselines decided case-by-case based largely on average monthly usage from 2021-23.<\/p>\n
Council Member Eric Cantu is concerned about viewing apartment dwellers as commercial customers. \u201cApartments are homes also,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Winkelmann said the water department will meet with the local apartment association this week to discuss possible solutions.<\/p>\n
This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.<\/p>\n
Photo: The Corpus Christi City Council meets to discuss the city\u2019s depleting water supplies on March 17, 2026. Pete Garcia for The Texas Tribune<\/p>\n
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