Council adopts revisions to drought contingency plan as Lake Corpus Christi levels fall

City staff presented and the council adopted revisions to the City of Alice retail and wholesale drought contingency plan to reflect current reservoir conditions and clarify allowable uses during drought stages.

Dimitrio (staff) explained the revisions and said the plan is a state‑mandated, living document that addresses temporary drought conditions and water emergencies. He reported Lake Corpus Christi at 80.4 feet (about 22.7% of capacity) and a combined reservoir level with Choke Canyon at roughly 17.7% capacity; staff said the city entered Stage 2 of its drought plan in March and had reached Stage 3 in December 2024. Dimitrio and City Manager Michael Esparza emphasized that the revisions brought local rules into alignment with conditions and with guidance from Corpus Christi’s modeling contractor, Corolla Engineering.

The specific revisions the council approved (document redline shown to council) remove or restrict watering of ornamental turf at the current stages and add an explicit allowance for watering food‑bearing gardens and food‑bearing trees as needed to sustain produce or livelihood. Staff said ornamental or turf watering is the main conservation lever at the current reservoir levels and that permitting continued watering for food production helps protect subsistence and small‑scale gardening.

Esparza and staff also reported progress on the city’s second well and a planned desalination/blend project; staff said the second well is pumping and pending regulatory sampling and approvals that would allow blending into the distribution system. Staff said they are pursuing an expedited TCEQ review for the blend and expect follow‑up plan revisions as the local water resource picture evolves.

The council voted to approve the revisions; the motion carried by voice vote with no roll call recorded on the transcript.