In Corpus Christi, City Manager Peter Zanoni unveiled two significant developments on Friday aimed at delaying a potential water emergency that could impose restrictions on residents and businesses. These measures are intended to provide the city with at least a two-month buffer before such an emergency may arise.
The city recently received state approval to continue extracting approximately 40 million gallons of water daily from Lake Texana, one of its three primary reservoirs, even if the water level dips below 50%. Typically, reaching this threshold would automatically trigger a 10% reduction in the volume the city is allowed to pump.
Zanoni emphasized the importance of this special authorization, stating it is crucial for ensuring a reliable water supply for the city’s more than 317,000 residents.
In a further development, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality granted the city a permit to draw water from wells located in Nueces County. The city had previously drilled four wells, which were ready to begin operations as soon as the permit was obtained.
Following the permit approval, the city commenced pumping 4.5 million gallons per day from these wells on Thursday.
Last week, Governor Greg Abbott criticized city officials for their perceived inaction regarding the looming water crisis and threatened state intervention. He urged the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority to expedite permits and ease regulations to assist the city in quickly securing additional water resources.
Zanoni remarked that these recent developments could provide an additional 8 million gallons of water per day by the end of May, which he described as essential steps in averting a citywide water emergency. However, he cautioned that these are only temporary measures.
“We need to secure more water supply,” he stated, asserting that the city should ideally have “two to three times” its current daily water availability.
A prolonged drought, coupled with a surge in industrial activity such as refineries and natural gas export terminals along Corpus Christi Bay, has brought the city to the brink of a historic water shortage. Currently, two of the city’s main reservoirs are below 10% capacity, and projections suggest they could run dry by May.
These conditions have led to forecasts indicating a potential water emergency—defined as having water supplies expected to last only 180 days—could occur as early as May, which would necessitate severe water conservation measures.
Thanks to the recent approvals allowing for increased water extraction from Lake Texana and the operation of the additional wells, this timeline has been extended to at least July, according to Zanoni.
However, he warned that water levels in Lake Texana are also declining. “Since last fall, Lake Texana has entered an extreme drought phase, resulting in minimal inflow into the reservoir,” he noted, adding, “This drought is likely to be the record-setting one—it’s particularly severe.”
The lake is currently around 53% full, but Zanoni anticipates it may drop to 50% by April, which would have triggered the aforementioned 10% reduction, equating to a loss of around 4 million gallons of water per day for the city.
With the backing of state officials and Abbott, the city is permitted to continue its current level of water extraction “for the time being” due to the urgent water situation, Zanoni explained.
“This will provide us with several more months of supply at full capacity, assisting us during this drought,” he added.
Additionally, Zanoni announced the formation of a 19-member advisory group tasked with collaborating with Spheros Environmental Group Parent Inc., a consulting firm based in Round Rock, to help the city formulate long-term water strategies.
