Corpus Christi Council adopts updated drought contingency plan with new triggers, consumer protections

The Corpus Christi City Council voted March 18 to adopt an updated drought contingency plan and an ordinance amending city code (Chapter 55, Article 12) governing water resource management.

The vote came after two public listening sessions, revisions from staff and council, and extensive public comment urging stronger curtailment of large industrial water users. Mayor Paulette Guajardo and council members approved the plan after an amendment adopting recent, highlighted textual changes was added and passed by the council.

The council adopted the plan to satisfy Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) requirements and to keep the city eligible for expedited state permitting for new supply projects such as groundwater wells and pipeline hookups. Corpus Christi Water staff and the city said the TCEQ requires an updated plan on file before it will process certain permits and encouraged the council to approve the plan to avoid delays.

Why it matters: The DCP establishes when the city will declare stages 1–4 drought conditions, how demand-reduction measures and optional surcharges would be applied, and what triggers would move the city into an emergency (stage 4). Staff emphasized the plan’s role in protecting the city’s ability to secure new supplies — notably wells and the Mary Rhodes pipeline — and in clarifying reporting and response steps for residents and businesses.

Key provisions and changes - Triggers: The plan aligns a water emergency (stage 4) trigger with a modeling benchmark used by TCEQ — a 180-day horizon in which supplies are modeled to fall short of demand. Staff explained the…