Council Briefed on Drought Contingency Plan Revision and Conservation Program

At today’s regularly scheduled City Council meeting, Corpus Christi Water Chief Operating Officer Michael Murphy, and Water Resources Manager, Esteban Ramos, briefed the Council on proposed changes to the Drought Contingency Plan and gave an update on the Water Conservation 365 Program.

The City of Corpus Christi was the first in Texas to create a Drought Contingency Plan in 1986, with the most recent update to the plan approved by the City Council in 2018.

Proposed changes to the current plan include adding a Water Shortage Watch stage consisting of early voluntary conservation measures. Restrictions would be triggered when the combined capacity of Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon Reservoir falls to 35% for Stage 1 as opposed to the current level of 30% and 25% for Stage 2 as opposed to 20%.

“As a community, we must all do our part to conserve water and take care of our precious water reserves during this drought,” Mayor Guajardo said.  

The Water Conservation 365 program was developed in October to promote water conservation practices 365 days a year. The update included a progress report on implementing the water data dashboard, hiring new staff, and the recent success of the Xeriscape Symposium.

The river basins that recharge the water sources for Corpus Christi are still experiencing very dry conditions. According to the National Weather Service, no heavy rainfall is expected. Recent rains in the Corpus Christi area will not significantly change water storage levels.

The City of Corpus Christi continues to address drought contingency and conservation initiatives while also working to secure drought-proof sources of water to plan for the growing need of the city.

The City of Corpus Christi and Corpus Christi Water welcome feedback from the community on the drought contingency plan by email to [email protected]

For more information, contact Strategic Business Manager Adrianna Escamilla at 361-826-1682 or email [email protected].

About Corpus Christi Water

For 130 years, the City of Corpus Christi has been vital as the water supplier for the region. Our commitment to 500,000 residents across the Coastal Bend is to plan, produce and deliver water that is affordable, drought-proof, sustainable, and reliable.