City of Corpus Christi | Media Briefing Water Supply Initiatives May 8, 2026

The City of Corpus Christi held a media briefing on May 8, 2026, to provide updates on water supply initiatives amid ongoing drought conditions. Key procurement-related topics included upcoming City Council consideration of policy changes for a level one water emergency, focusing on residential water use allocations, surcharges, and curtailment methodologies. The city plans to raise the residential water baseline allocation from 5,250 to 6,000 gallons to better align with current usage patterns and intends to use surcharges rather than fines to enforce compliance, especially for residential customers. Discussions also covered wholesale water customer curtailment policies and the status of groundwater and seawater desalination projects, including a new private desalination proposal by XH2O, which the council voted to further explore despite concerns about the company's lack of experience and business readiness. The briefing highlighted the city’s efforts to balance water demand reduction with equitable treatment across customer classes and outlined plans for a web-based water usage tracking tool. The City Council is expected to vote on these policies on May 12, 2026.