The city of Corpus Christi declared the loosening of drought restrictions on Aug. 27, in line with predictions made during an Aug. 25 City Council meeting.
One main difference between Stage 2 and Stage 1 drought restrictions is how frequently residents can water their lawns, according to previous Caller-Times reporting.
Stage 1 drought restrictions allow property owners to water with sprinklers one day every week.Watering with a hose-end sprinkler or automatic irrigation system is allowed before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m. to prevent evaporation loss.
Previously, under Stage 2 drought restrictions, residents could only water lawns with sprinklers one day every two weeks. Just three weeks ago, the city was still under Stage 3 drought restrictions, which
banned all lawn watering for over a year.
Severe flooding upstream raised water levels at Corpus Christi's reservoirs at Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon Reservoir. Earlier this month, the combined capacity rose to more than 30%, the threshold between Stage 3 and Stage 2 drought restrictions.
The city's drought contingency plan allows Stage 2 drought restrictions to be lifted when the combined capacity of the reservoirs rises above 40%.
City Manager Peter Zanoni said during a news conference Aug. 27 that officials initially thought the combined capacity would be above 40% for only a few weeks, "but it's going to turn into a few months."
Zanoni said the combined capacity of both reservoirs was 42.2% as of Aug. 27. He said that forecasts indicate that water capacity will remain at this level until the end of September.
Lake Corpus Christi was 90.2% full and Choke Canyon Reservoir was at 23.6% capacity as of Aug. 27, Zanoni said.
Watering once a week is "great," Zanoni said, but not a "home run."
While in Stage 1, the city is still following a drought contingency plan, prioritizing conservation. Drought restriction enforcement will continue.
"While we're relaxing water restrictions, we're not misusing water," Zanoni said.
Olivia Garrett reports on education and community news in South Texas. Contact her at olivia.garrett@caller.com.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Corpus Christi loosens drought restrictions to Stage 1
