CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — Corpus Christi's projected Level 1 Water Emergency has been pushed back to September 2027 — a nine-month improvement over the December 2026 timeline the city announced last month — according to an updated water supply and demand dashboard obtained by KRIS 6 News ahead of Tuesday's City Council meeting.
City Manager Peter Zanoni notified the Mayor and City Council of the revised projection in a memo sent this morning.
In the memo, Zanoni wrote that the previous forecast — issued roughly 30 days prior — had projected a Level 1 emergency in December 2026. Sustained rainfall over the past 30 days changed that figure.
"Given rains over the last 30 days (not including the past weekend's rains), the now updated forecast shows a Level 1 Water Emergency being called in September 2027," Zanoni wrote in the memo.
Corpus Christi Water Chief Operating Officer Nicholas Winkelmann, P.E., is scheduled to present the assumptions behind the new model to the council on Tuesday.
Under the city's drought contingency plan, a Level 1 Water Emergency is declared when the city is 180 days away from being unable to meet water demand — not when supply runs out. Once declared, mandatory 25% cuts take effect for all customers: residents, businesses, and large industrial users.
As of Tuesday, June 23, the Texas Water Development Board reports the combined capacity of Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon has risen to 14.8%.
