Water Supply Dashboard

To better understand and plan for our water future, the City uses advanced modeling similar to how meteorologists track hurricanes. Just as a hurricane forecast includes multiple projected paths based on changing conditions, our water models evaluate a range of scenarios using variables like rainfall, demand, project timelines, and available supply. After careful evaluation, the models have narrowed the projected date to a Level 1 Water Emergency to September 2027.

Model inputs and assumptions:

Western Reservoirs

• Inflows as of June 18, 2026 were utilized
• Projected stream inflows are estimated at a total of 10,438 acre-feet for the remainder of 2026
  
  

Nueces Groundwater Program

• Continues to operate per the protocols established in the Bed and Banks permit
  
  

Effluent

• Reuse to offset demand begins December 2026, with amounts increasing through 2027
  
  

LNRA Curtailment of Lake Texana

• Projected to be 20%, estimated in May 2027
  
  

Alice, Mathis, and Beeville

• Demand reduction due to new water supply projects
  
  

Mary Rhodes Pipeline

• Will operate at Schedule 3 (55 MGD) for four weeks to accommodate upgrades at the Woodsboro pump station
• Will operate at Schedule 2 (43 MGD) for three weeks to accommodate upgrades at the Bloomington pump station

CCW supplies water for municipal and industrial use in a seven-county service area covering 140 square miles. From the west of Corpus Christi, water is drawn from the Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon Reservoir System, both within the Nueces River Basin, and sent to the O.N. Stevens Water Treatment Plant. To the east of Corpus Christi, water is transferred from the Colorado River via Mary Rhodes Pipeline Phase II and from Lake Texana via the Mary Rhodes Pipeline Phase I and sent to the O.N. Stevens Water Treatment Plant.

Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Corpus Christi are the City’s longest-established and largest water supplies. The City controls the water in both reservoirs. Both reservoirs are monitored daily and are operated per the 2001 Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Agreed Order. The 2001 Agreed Order is an agreement between the State and the City that mandates that the combined reservoir storage level be used to implement drought stages. For these reasons, the City uses the combined capacity of Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Corpus Christi as the triggering criteria for the initiation of the drought stages as described in our Drought Contingency Plan, this also ensures the protection of our largest water supplies.

Level 1 Water Emergency*

Pursuant to the 2025 approved Drought Contingency Plan, the City has adopted a new “Level 1 Water Emergency” previously known as “Stage 4”. This Level 1 Emergency is initiated when the City reaches 180-days from when the total water supply is not enough to meet the total water demand. This does not mean the City has run out of water as millions of gallons are still available from the Eastern Supplies (i.e., Lake Texana and the Colorado River).