CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The city of Corpus Christi is now in Stage 1 of a mild water shortage watch.
It comes as the combined lake levels of Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon Reservoir have dipped below 40 percent.
The last time the city was in a Stage 1 contingency plan was back in 2018.
After speaking with Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni and the water department director, Corpus Christi residents can expect to be in Stage 1 phase for close to three months.
At today's press conference it was announced that this response guides us as a city to cut back on our demand and conserve more water.
So what does that mean?
Residents should use their irrigation system once a week before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
Avoid water runoff in streets and sidewalks.
Check for water leaks.
And wash full loads of laundry and dishwasher.
Zanoni said city officials spoke to the National Weather Service. Rain is expected on Wednesday and possibly Saturday, but it still will not be enough to get us out of this drought.
“Right now in Corpus Christi, we're 5 inches below normal for rainfall,” Zanoni said. “So we need some heavy, heavy sustained rains. The passing showers you get from a cold front won't dig us out.”
And a couple of tips you can use:
When washing dishes, use a sponge rather than keeping the water on.
And be aware of how much water is used when showering and when watering plants.
You can watch today's press conference here:
