Will rain in the forecast help Corpus Christi's drought situation?
Rainfall this past weekend did not increase the volume of water in Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon Reservoir. And although rain is in the forecast for the next seven days, less than half an inch is expected.
The ongoing drought means the city of Corpus Christi still expects to enter Stage 2 of its water usage restrictions in the coming weeks.
"This forecast, which anticipates that we might get scattered showers ... it will have no significant impact, directly zero impact, to our current condition," said Mike Murphy, chief operations officer of Corpus Christi Water. "The drought is real. It shows no signs of easing up."
Murphy gave an update on the drought to City Council during its regular meeting Tuesday.
The combined levels of the two city water sources were 36.9% as of Tuesday. City officials expect the levels to dip to 35% in late August or the first week of September, which is when the city will enter a Stage 2 Moderate Water Shortage Watch. Under Stage 2, irrigation will only be allowed every other week on recycling collection day before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
The city is now in Stage 1 Mild Water Shortage Watch, which was enacted in mid-June. Lake levels were then at 42.9%. Under Stage 1, irrigation is only allowed once a week on trash collection day. Since June 25, the city has issued more than 550 citations for water restriction violations. The municipal court citations are up to $500 per incident and a Class C misdemeanor.
Although Stage 1 restrictions are in place, the city's water production increased from about 94 million gallons a day in June to roughly 102 million gallons a day in July. The city provides water to more than 500,000 people across seven counties.
"What we see happening is people are ... watering once a week, but they're doubling up on the amount of water they're putting on their lawns, and that does not help the situation," Murphy said.
The historical drought of record for Corpus Christi with four water sources is February 2015, when the Choke Canyon and Lake Corpus Christi combined levels reached 30% percent.
The current drought is becoming the drought of record. And without any significant rainfall, a "worst-case scenario" projection shows the region could reach lake levels below 20% for Choke Canyon and Lake Corpus Christi by September 2023.
"It's pretty dark, pretty stark situation that we find ourselves in," Murphy said.
This time last year, levels at Choke Canyon were at 49% and 92.4% at Lake Corpus Christi. Today, levels at Choke Canyon are at 34.2% and 43.8% for Lake Corpus Christi.
The city and the region rely on four water surface sources: Choke Canyon Reservoir, Lake Corpus Christi, Lake Texana and the Colorado River via the Mary Rhodes Pipeline. Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Corpus Christi are the main sources.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Will rain in the forecast help Corpus Christi's drought situation?
