A Level 1 emergency for Corpus Christi — indicating its water system is 180 days from supply not meeting demand — is now projected for September, which would trigger a recommended 25% curtailment in use, according to a presentation to the city council on Tuesday.
"Staff is working every single day for this not to happen," Nicholas Winkelmann, Corpus Christi Water's chief operating officer, told the council.
He said the latest projection is based on several factors, including no inflows from rain events, a 20% curtailment from the Lake Texana reservoir starting in August, and projects bringing additional supply, while excluding a 24 million gallons-per-day Evangeline groundwater project, which is facing challenges to its permits.
City officials have said $1 billion of projects aimed at producing 76 million gallons of water daily are underway. Long-term projects being explored
The council will vote on various recommendations in the presentation, including the proposed 25% curtailment from baseline usage for residential, commercial, industrial and wholesale customers of Corpus Christi Water, the primary water supplier for a seven-county region, which is experiencing
Ongoing water woes led Moody's Ratings last week to place the city's bond ratings under
Moody's previous review, which began in September,
Earlier this month, Fitch Ratings revised its outlook on Corpus Christi's AA issuer rating
In October, both Fitch and S&P Global Ratings
