Corpus Christi City Council members outlined an improved outlook while discussing current drought restrictions. The city recently received groundwater permits to help address the water shortage.
At a Tuesday city council workshop meeting, Chief Operating Officer of Corpus Christi Water Nick Winkelmann briefed council members regarding water supply, water availability, demand conditions, and how new supplies affect the drought conditions.
Background
In 1986, Corpus Christi was the first city in Texas to develop a combined water conservation and drought contingency plan. The two were separated into distinct documents in 2013, with the contingency plan last updated in March 2025.
Winkelmann described the contingency plan as “a business tool for managing operations and water supplies in drought situations” that aims to minimize non-essential water use during drought conditions.
The plan applies to all Corpus Christi Water customer classes, which are divided into residential, commercial, wholesale, and large volume users.
Current Status
Corpus Christi has been under a Stage 3 drought restriction since December 2024. The next stage is a Level 1 water emergency, which means that there is only about 180 days left before water supplies will not meet demand.
If a Level 1 water emergency is projected, the council will be asked to acknowledge and declare the emergency, authorize the baseline usage for the customer class base, and review and approve curtailment percentages in water usage as suggested by staff.
Additional steps that could be approved by the council during a Level 1 emergency are the use of surcharges, a temporary halt on the addition of new water lines, and extension of more restrictions.
“If we do enter a Level 1 water emergency, the goal is to ensure that we always have enough supply to meet demand,” said Winkelmann. “The actions taken during a Level 1 water emergency are all meant to ensure that we always have enough supply to meet demand.”
“Essentially, the efforts taken are meant to push back that 180 day mark until we bring on new water supplies, until reservoirs refill and until we have more availability for water,” he continued.
Changed Outlook
Although a wide array of possible scenarios for the beginning of a Level 1 water emergency were presented to the council last month, additional water supplies have since been secured, which has changed the scenarios.
The additional water supply was made possible through action taken by Gov. Greg Abbott, who waived regulations allowing the Western and ERF (Elm Ridge Fields) well fields to discharge water into the Nueces River, which fills Lake Corpus Christi and the Choke Canyon Reservoir.
Abbott also directed the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority to modify its drought plans to let Corpus Christi continue drawing its current water allotment from Lake Texana.
The river authority would have likely begun curtailing the city’s water from the reservoir once it reached 50 percent capacity, but now plans will be reassessed only if it drops to 40 percent capacity.
Winkelmann told council members that they are working with engineers to update the scenarios, which will be provided to them in April.
Council members discussed the feasibility of stricter water reduction policies and conservation practices under a potential Level 1 declaration, but no action was taken.
The next regular city council meeting is April 14, and the next water workshop meeting is April 28.
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