Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend region are experiencing a water shortage affecting residents, businesses, and industry. Since August 2024, residents have faced restrictions on watering lawns, gardens, and washing boats and cars. Without significant rainfall, the city may declare a water emergency by December 2026, limiting household use to 6,000 gallons per month. The city supplies 65% of the region’s water to more than 500,000 residents and major industrial customers. Most supply depends on rainfall and runoff in the Nueces, Lavaca-Navidad, and Colorado river basins, stored in Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Corpus Christi, with additional water transported through the Mary Rhodes Pipeline and from Lake Texana. Drought in the Nueces basin since late 2021 has reduced reservoir levels to about 8% of combined capacity by May 2026, increasing reliance on other sources.
"Since August 2024, the city’s 318,000 residents have been unable to water their lawns and have been restricted in their ability to water gardens or wash their boats and cars."
"Without significant rainfall, the city’s government may have to declare a water emergency as soon as December 2026. This would require households to limit their water use to 6,000 gallons per month (22,700 liters), two-thirds of the average U.S. household’s water use."
"Most of the city’s water comes from rainfall and runoff in three river basins: the Nueces, the Lavaca-Navidad and the Colorado. Water is stored in Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Corpus Christi in the Nueces basin. This is supplemented by water transported via the Mary Rhodes Pipeline from the Colorado River channel and from Lake Texana in the Lavaca-Navidad basin."
"The Nueces basin has been experiencing widespread drought conditions since late 2021, leading to very low water levels in Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Corpus Christi. As of May 2026, these reservoirs are at about 8% of their combined capacity. As a result, the city has had to draw more water from the Colorado River and Lake Texana, whic"
Read at Fortune
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]