The Corpus Christi City Council unanimously agreed Tuesday to delay a vote on how much residents, local businesses and refineries would have to cut water if a supply crisis is triggered.
Nick Winkelmann, chief operating officer of the city’s water department, presented a plan to require all customers of the city’s water system to reduce use by 25% during a Level 1 emergency — the point when the water supply is projected to be 180 days from falling short of demand. Experts say that may happen as soon as September unless significant rain falls.
Council members told Winkelmann they needed more information on how curtailment would be enforced — including fines and fees for customers who violate limits — before settling on a rate.
“It’s very difficult to vote on something where you don’t know the end result,” Council Member Gil Hernandez said.
Leaders were asked to set water limits Tuesday, delaying decisions on additional details, such as surcharges and variance applications, until a future meeting.
Council Member Mark Scott said he was “uncomfortable with too many of these decisions today.”
Mayor Paulette Guajardo said delaying the vote by a week would give the water department time to “come back with something a little bit more holistic.”
Last week, leaders from the water department presented 53 pages of suggestions for a curtailment plan, including a Level 1 reduction rate of 25%. Leaders did not raise concerns about that curtailment rate then.
The city is under high pressure to finalize an emergency plan and find new sources of water. The region has been gripped by an unforgiving drought, pushing the city’s main reservoirs to historic lows. More than 95% of the city’s water supply comes from surface water and its two main reservoirs, Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon Reservoir, have dropped to just 8% of capacity, prompting city leaders to scale up drought contingency plans.
For now, Corpus has been relying on temporary measures to meet demand.
Under the water department’s recommendations, residents would be allotted 5,250 gallons a month, a limit currently exceeded by about 30% of 91,000 residential customers, according to Winkelmann.
The city’s water department also recommended that violations be punished as a Class C misdemeanor, with fines of up to $500, and that a second violation incur the risk of having a customer’s water cut off for at least one monthly billing cycle.
Residents would also have to pay an additional $4 for every 1,000 gallons used after surpassing a 7,000-gallon monthly threshold — which 13% of customers currently exceed. The city’s water department is working on an online portal where residents can monitor their usage in between bills.
Council Member Eric Cantu said he strongly disagrees with forcing residents to reduce their water use by tacking on fees and fines because petrochemical plants are the city’s largest consumers.
“Who’s getting screwed again? The taxpayer, the ratepayers, the people of Corpus Christi,” he said.
The largest proposed restrictions would be felt along the petrochemical corridor on Corpus Christi Bay. The city’s biggest water customers are roughly 20 large refineries and other industrial companies that collectively consume up to 60% of the city’s water supply, according to local officials.
Industry, which the curtailment plan classifies as large-volume customers, would have baselines calculated according to average water use each season. If the emergency is triggered in September, refineries would have to reduce water use by 25% based on the average amount used in October and November.
Winkelmann on Tuesday said large-volume customers use a combined average of 30 to 35 million gallons a day. Meanwhile, residents use about 14 million gallons daily.
“I’m sick and tired of the false news that we’re running out of water,” Cantu said. “No, we’re not running out of water, the refineries are running out of water.”
A controversial factor is that eight industrial companies, including Valero, Citgo and Flint Hills Resources, have bought into the city’s drought surcharge exemption program that City Manager Peter Zanoni has referred to as an “insurance program.” Large-volume users had the option years ago of adding an additional fee to their water bill — 31 cents for every 1,000 gallons — to avoid additional fees during a water crisis.
Under the water department’s recommendation, wholesale customers — such as the cities of Alice, Beeville and Mathis, in addition to the San Patricio Municipal Water District and the South Texas Water Authority — would have their baseline calculated by their average monthly water use from 2022-24, excluding the lowest month.
Corpus Christi has been under Stage 3 restrictions since December 2024, limiting nonessential outdoor watering.
During Tuesday’s meeting, dozens of residents urged the City Council to enforce tougher restrictions on industrial customers.
Susan Gonzalez said it would be difficult for her household of four to stay under the 5,250-gallon limit. Her most recent water bill charged her for around 10,000 gallons, and that’s after taking steps to reduce use by complying with outdoor watering restrictions and, “much to my heartbreak,” letting her 85-year-old magnolia tree die, she said.
To meet the curtailment limit in a typical month, Gonzalez estimated she would have to reduce use by nearly 40%.
“There is absolutely no way I can cut that much water in my house,” Gonzalez said. “I’m asking really, put creative hats on and look at allowances, because this is just not realistic for a lot of people.”
The City Council’s next meeting is slated for May 5 at 11:30 a.m.
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