CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — In a 7–2 vote, the Corpus Christi City Council approved changes Tuesday to the city’s proposed Level 1 Water Emergency rules, loosening some residential restrictions while keeping mandatory water curtailment measures in place if drought conditions worsen.
The updated rules, which still require final approval at next week’s council meeting, would only take effect if the city officially declares a Level 1 Water Emergency.
Under the proposal, the residential monthly baseline would increase from 7,000 gallons to 8,000 gallons per month. Because Level 1 restrictions still trigger a mandatory 25% curtailment, residential customers would be allocated 6,000 gallons per month if a Level 1 Water Emergency is declared. However, under the approved framework, residential customers would not face violations, penalties or enforcement actions for exceeding their water allocation or baseline. Instead, citations during a Level 1 Water Emergency would apply only to prohibited uses…