CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — Recent rainfall has brought some relief to Corpus Christi's ongoing water crisis, but city water officials say a few storms are not enough to end a five-year drought.
Lake Corpus Christi is now at 12.1% of capacity following recent rain events, and for the first time in a long time, Nueces River water is flowing over the Calallen Barrier Dam.
City Council Member Eric Cantu had predicted the rain would come through when asked about the potential for a Level 1 water emergency on April 21.
"I think God is going to give us water, we're gonna have water and we're going to be okay. We're going to get a lot of rain events. That's going to save us to be honest with you," Cantu said after a water workshop.
But Corpus Christi Water COO Nick Winkelmann says the drought is not over yet.
"A five year drought doesn't end immediately. We're thankful for the rain but we have to continue our efforts to diversify the supply. All of this is done to ensure the water supply is resilient for the future," Winkelmann said.
Winkelmann confirmed the river is responding to the recent storms.
"That rainfall has made its way to the [Nueces] river in a measure enough that it flows over the barrier dam," Winkelmann said.
A water emergency still looms over the region. It's projected for December of this year.
A Bay Area homeowner raised the question of whether residents could simply use their allotted water — potentially 6,000 gallons per month — however they choose, rather than under specific use restrictions. Winkelmann addressed that concern directly.
"We're asking the residents to maintain and continue to do what they're doing because what they've done over the last year has helped and it will continue to help us," Winkelmann said.
For now, no major changes to the water emergency plan appear to be on the horizon. The vote on the plan is expected June 2.
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