City Council Approves First Reading of Updates to Drought Contingency Plan

January 28, 2025

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – At today’s regularly scheduled City Council meeting, Mayor Paulette Guajardo and the Council approved proposed updates to the city’s Drought Contingency Plan (DCP). This is the first of two readings of the measure, with a second vote scheduled for February 11. If approved, the DCP updates would take effect on February 12.

The updates result from community feedback, Council recommendations, extensive research into other cities’ drought plans, and internal and external reviews of the city’s plan. They align with the city’s responsibility for maintaining a reliable water supply.  

The DCP is a business and operation plan to protect the City’s water supply. The state-mandated responsive plan addresses temporary drought conditions or water emergencies. Texas Administrative Code §288 requires the plan to be reviewed every five years.   

Here are some of the DCP updates approved by the City Council:

Water Shortage Watch

  • The addition of a voluntary stage. A Water Shortage Watch would be initiated when the combined capacity of Lake Corpus Christi and the Choke Canyon Reservoir falls below 50%. Water customers are requested to voluntarily limit the irrigation of landscaped areas to once per week.

 

Stage 1 Water Restrictions

  • No changes to watering restrictions

 

Stage 2 Water Restrictions

  • Irrigation of landscaped areas with hose-end sprinklers or automatic irrigation systems shall be limited to once every other week on designated watering days. 
  • Irrigation of landscaped areas is permitted on any day if it is by means of a hand-held hose (with positive shutoff nozzle), a faucet-filled bucket or watering can of five (5) gallons or less, or a drip irrigation system with a positive shutoff device.
  • The use of water to wash a motor vehicle, not occurring on the premises of a commercial car wash, is allowed on the designated watering day.
  • A person or entity who owns, leases or manages an outdoor swimming pool (including City-owned pools) shall begin preparation for the Stage 3 requirement to have at least 100% of the pool surface area covered when not in use. 

 

Stage 3 Water Restrictions

  • Irrigation of landscaped areas shall be prohibited at all times.
  • Drip irrigation for foundations and landscaped beds is allowed every other week on the designated watering schedule. The watering schedule will be determined by the City Manager or designee.
  • Watering of trees, vegetable beds, shrubs, and potted plants is permitted on any day if it is by means of a handheld hose (with a positive shutoff nozzle), a faucet-filled bucket, or a watering can of five (5) gallons or less.
  • No draining or filling swimming pools, wading pools, and jacuzzi-type pools (except to maintain levels for filter function) is allowed. A person or entity who owns, leases, or manages an outdoor swimming pool (including City-owned pools) shall have at least 100% of the pool surface area covered when not in use. 
  • A request for an exemption or variance from this provision for pools that have a water-saving feature may be submitted by filling out the City-provided application for exemption/variance.  
  • Operators of water parks must seek approval of the Chief Operating Officer for Corpus Christi Water or designee prior to filling, refilling, or adding water to water parks.  
  • The use of water to wash a motor vehicle, not occurring on the premises of a commercial car wash station, is allowed by hand, with a five (5) gallon bucket or less on the designated watering day.

 

Water Emergency

Stage 4 will now be called Water Emergency.

During a Water Emergency, The City Council could opt to enact surcharges. In that case, the following surcharge will be added to a customer's water bill:

  • For all irrigation accounts, a surcharge of $4.00 per 1,000 gallons would be added to the customers’ bill.
  • For residential accounts, a surcharge of $4.00 per 1,000 gallons over 7,000 gallons would be added to the customers’ bill.
  • For commercial accounts, a surcharge of $4.00 per 1,000 gallons over 55,000 gallons would be added to the customers’ bill.
  • For non-exempt large volume accounts, a surcharge of $4.00 per 1,000 gallons over 13,335,000 gallons would be added to the customers’ bill.
  • Other - Raw Wholesale, OCL Wholesale, OCL Network, and Municipal accounts – A surcharge of $4.00 per 1,000 gallons for volumes over 25% of the last 12-month average usage for the 12-month billing prior to the implementation of the Water Emergency.

 

Industrial customers are subject to drought restrictions like all other water customers. Eligible businesses may participate in a non-mandatory Drought Surcharge Exemption Fee program established on October 1, 2018. Under this program, eligible businesses can voluntarily pay a year-round fee to be exempt from applicable allocation surcharges outlined in City Code section 55-154. These fees are dedicated specifically to developing drought-resistant water supplies. The funds can only be used for capital costs related to developing or acquiring additional drought-proof water supplies. To date, the City has collected $21.5M through this program.

To learn more about the Drought Contingency Plan updates, visit stage3.cctexas.com.

For media inquiries, contact Robert Gonzales, Public Information Manager, at (361) 826-3233 or robertg8@cctexas.com.

Every Drop Counts, Conserve Corpus Christi