City of Corpus Christi officials again delayed setting water emergency policies — including water use allocations and surcharges — for two more weeks.
Both are now expected to be discussed during the same meeting in which the City Council plans to vote on a contract to pursue the proposed Inner Harbor desalination plant.
The items were postponed in large part to continue discussions with an association of apartment owners, the topic centered on whether multifamily units would be considered under commercial or residential formulas when calculating water use baselines and allocations.
A drinking water protection sign is shown near Choke Canyon Reservoir South Shore dam on Feb. 8.
The policies and surcharges in consideration would only go into effect when, or if, the city enters into a water emergency.
A water emergency would be called when it’s projected that within six months, the city’s water supply would be unable to meet demand.
The curtailment percentage currently recommended is a 25% reduction in water use.
Residents in single-family homes would be assigned a blanket baseline of 8,000 gallons of water per month; at that value, under 25% curtailment, they would be allocated 6,000 gallons per month.
Variances allowing for higher water use will be available, city officials have said.
Under the proposal, commercial businesses, large-volume users and wholesale customers would have individual baselines and allocations.
Water supply: Here’s how the Mary Rhodes Pipeline rescued the Corpus Christi region
A decision on implementing surcharges under a water emergency was also postponed because they are directly related to the water emergency policies, according to officials.
Under the current proposal, all customer classes would have surcharges of $4 per 1,000 gallons over their given allocations, and $8 per 1,000 gallons exceeding the baseline, according to council documents.
Kirsten Crow covers city government and water news. Have a story idea? Contact her at kirsten.crow@caller.com.
Consider supporting local journalism with a subscription to the Caller-Times.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Corpus Christi water emergency guidelines still pending a vote
