Corpus Christi Water Restrictions 2026

Corpus Christi has been at Stage 3 mandatory conservation since December 2024. Combined storage at Choke Canyon Reservoir + Lake Corpus Christi stood at roughly 7.8 per cent on May 11, 2026, near record lows for the system. The 2001 TCEQ Agreed Order triggers Stage 3 automatically when combined storage falls below 30 per cent; the system is now deep into Stage 3 territory. The Nueces River basin is in its fifth consecutive year of drought, year-to-date rainfall is running under 60 per cent of normal, and Choke Canyon alone has fallen from 47 per cent in October 2021 to under 8 per cent today.

Corpus Christi Water serves roughly 500,000 people across seven counties via wholesale agreements with Alice, Aransas Pass, Beeville, Mathis, Three Rivers, San Patricio Municipal Water District, and South Texas Water Authority. Aransas Pass (April 22, 2026), Ingleside, Beeville, and Nueces County have all issued local disaster declarations citing severe drought, declining reservoirs, and projected supply shortfalls. Beeville's declaration cites the risk that Lake Corpus Christi could fall below its intake infrastructure: an imminent threat to sanitation and firefighting if the system cannot pump water.

April 28, 2026 update: City Council unanimously postponed the vote on a 25 per cent across-the-board curtailment plan presented by Nick Winkelmann, COO of Corpus Christi Water. The plan would cap residential customers at 5,250 gallons per month under a Level 1 Water Emergency and require all customers (residential, commercial, industrial) to cut use by 25 per cent. Roughly 30 per cent of residential customers currently exceed 5,250 gallons per month. Eight industrial companies (including Valero, Citgo, Flint Hills Resources) are permanently exempt from drought surcharges via a voluntary 'insurance' conservation program enrolled at 31 cents per 1,000 gallons years ago. Mayor Paulette Guajardo said the postponement would let the water department return with a 'more holistic' plan.

May 5, 2026 update: City Council voted 6-2 (Roland Barrera and Sylvia Campos opposed) to begin contract negotiations with AXE H2O, a new Houston-based company proposing a 150 MGD private desalination plant at roughly $6.50 per 1,000 gallons. The original $1.3B Inner Harbor desalination project was cancelled in September 2025. Earliest desalination online: 2028.

Level 1 Water Emergency would automatically trigger when the Texas Water Development Board projects supply at 180 days or less, projected for September 2026 without significant rainfall. Governor Abbott's April 2026 emergency drought directives suspend procurement rules for emergency groundwater drilling and unlock state emergency funding for impacted cities.

This deficit has accumulated over the current water year and represents a significant departure from historical averages for the Corpus Christi area. Water supply reservoirs and aquifer levels are well below seasonal targets, necessitating mandatory conservation measures.