CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — Corpus Christi city council voted Tuesday to approve the first reading of a revised Level 1 Water Emergency Plan after sending Corpus Christi Water back to the drawing board over concerns about fines and water allotments.
Mayor Paulette Guajardo said the council was united in its opposition to certain parts of the original plan.
"Every council member up here had something to say about citations, about surcharges," Guajardo said.
The revised plan eliminates the potential $500 citations for residents that council members had opposed.
The new plan also increases the baseline water allotment to 8,000 gallons per month. After a 25% curtailment is applied, residents will be allotted 6,000 gallons per month.
Nick Winkelmann, COO of Corpus Christi Water, noted the allotment would only take effect under specific conditions.
"That is implemented on the date of a Level One Water Emergency," Winkelmann said.
While citations are gone, surcharges remain for customers who exceed their monthly allotments. All customers — residents, businesses, and industry — will be billed $4 per thousand gallons over their allotment. Customers who exceed their baseline will be billed $8 per thousand gallons.
At-Large Councilmember Mark Scott suggested the surcharge structure may be too lenient and referenced a tiered format used in 1984.
"They charged three dollars for the first thousand gallons, then five dollars for the next thousand gallons over, and then ten dollars for the next thousand gallons over, and then twenty five dollars for the next thousand gallons," Scott said.
Under the revised plan, amenities such as splash pads and pools will remain open. Commercial car washes will also be allowed to operate as long as they comply with all drought contingency plan measures.
One of the most notable amendments allows boats to be washed with hoses rather than requiring the use of 5-gallon buckets.
"Everybody agreed that would be a good recommendation so we can wash the boats and preserve the integrity of that investments," Guajardo said.
The second reading of the Level 1 Water Emergency Plan is expected at next week's city council meeting.
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