At a marathon City Council meeting in Corpus Christi, city officials unveiled projections that they say could put the coastal city on a fast track toward emergency water measures—potentially within two months. Nick Winkelmann, the interim chief operating officer of Corpus Christi Water, laid out five scenarios for how the drought and local supply could play out, including two that could lead to a level one water emergency by May. Under that level one emergency timeline, city leaders projected that the city’s water supply would be short of demand within 180 days.
Council members pressed staff for clarity about which scenario the city should plan for. In response, utility staffers said they expected to narrow the possibilities down to two or three in the coming weeks as more data becomes available, according to the account of the meeting.
The projections are landing as seasonal conditions look increasingly bleak, with city leaders pointing to forecasts from the National Weather Service indicating little to no rainfall expected between July and September. Those projections would limit inflows to major reservoirs that supply the city, including Choke Canyon, Lake Corpus Christi, and Lake Texana.
Despite the warnings, city officials told the council they have not finalized a curtailment plan spelling out how soon— and how much—residents and businesses would need to reduce water use if the city reaches a level one water emergency. City Manager Peter Zanoni said the city lacks a prior example to follow and that a curtailment plan could take weeks or months to finalize and implement.
The state has stepped in as the city weighs its next moves. Gov. Greg Abbott, who recently criticized Corpus Christi leaders for their handling of the crisis, ordered agencies to suspend normal procedures to buy the city more time. Abbott’s office also directed the Texas river authority that manages Lake Corpus Christi—the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority—to change its drought trigger point, according to the governor’s office, from 50% of capacity to 40% to guarantee more water for the city. The river authority planned to meet Wednesday to make the change, the governor’s office said, as the reservoir was reported to be at 54% capacity.
Corpus Christi officials said the outlook is further complicated by delays in water infrastructure projects that are still months or even years away from completion. To close the gap, the city is turning to drilling wells in two fields in rural Nueces County that officials said are expected to produce up to 26 million gallons a day once fully operational. One field is completed and another has some wells ready to operate soon, but the city said it is awaiting a permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
During the same period, the city’s council voted to accelerate a second groundwater effort known as the Evangeline project, which is projected to include 24 wells and produce about 24 million gallons per day once operational. City officials said a city memo projected the effort could finish by 2028, even as they acknowledged the project depends on permitting before pumping begins.
Zanoni told council members the city was proceeding quickly with the expectation that permits would follow, and he said the design for the project was about 60% complete. The officials said the wells could deliver roughly 4 million gallons per day by November, but they noted that timelines depend heavily on when permits are issued.
The city also acknowledged that its aggressive approach could face legal challenges tied to groundwater permits. Officials said the local groundwater district initially approved the city’s well permits in San Patricio County, but that the permits were put on hold after the city of Sinton and two other parties contested them, triggering an administrative hearing with no date set. Corpus Christi officials said that process could delay the project by up to two years.
While council members debated the approach, Zanoni defended the risk as necessary to avoid restrictions. He said it was the only way to keep the city out of a level one water emergency, adding that the cost was outweighed by the need. Mayor Paulette M. Guajardo said the city needed the water and urged movement forward while hoping for permits, even as council members raised questions about spending without the guarantee that the legal and permitting steps would resolve quickly.
On Friday, Abbott also directed the TCEQ to fast-track temporary permits and loosen certain regulatory requirements to accelerate the city’s drilling projects, while the TCEQ had not immediately commented on whether permits had been issued, according to the reporting. Andrew Mahaleris, the governor’s press secretary, said the state was committing investments to ensure Corpus Christi has water resources to serve citizens, and said the governor had waived regulations to allow TCEQ to issue temporary permits on an expedited basis while preserving public input.
The council’s actions included approving construction associated with the Evangeline project and setting aside substantial funds for the effort and related land tied to groundwater rights, as officials attempt to close the near-term supply gap while drought planning catches up to the possibility of emergency curtailments.