Corpus Christi council reviews drought contingency plan; staff outlines baselines, surcharges and enforcement

Corpus Christi Water Chief Operating Officer Nick Winkelmann presented the City Council with a workshop review of the city's drought contingency plan, laying out how the plan would trigger mandatory curtailments, how baselines would be set for different customer classes, and how temporary surcharges and enforcement would be applied if the city declares a Level 1 water emergency.

Winkelmann told the council that the plan sets Level 1 as a point when the city is projected to be 180 days away from supply not meeting demand: “Level 1 water emergency is when we are projected to be 180 days away from supply not meeting demand,” he said, adding that curtailment and allocation percentages will be computed by consultants and brought back under the city manager's recommendation. He described the DCP as a business tool to ‘‘minimize non‑essential water use and ensure supply meets demand.’’

The workshop focused on three practical items the council will be asked to act on if a Level 1 water emergency is declared: acknowledging the emergency, adopting customer-class baselines, and approving any surcharge schedules. Staff proposed a residential baseline of 7,000 gallons per month (applying across meter sizes) and described a surcharge structure taken from the current plan: a residential surcharge of $4 per 1,000 gallons above 7,000 gallons a month and a commercial surcharge of $4 per 1,000 over 55,000…