CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — UPDATE: As of 3NEWS at 5 p.m., officials said 54 citations had been given out to people violating water restrictions on Monday.
The City of Corpus Christi has urged the community to save water due to drought conditions in South Texas. Now those who do not follow stage one water restrictions could end up paying the price.
Citations will begin Monday, and any violators could pay fines that reach up to $500 per violation per day. Enforcement will include nights and weekends.
In the July 19 City Council meeting, City Manager Peter Zanoni explained to council members how the city would enforce these citations.
"We go to the location, if we see the water use in action, we'll take pictures of the property to somewhat build a case," Zanoni said. "We'll issue a citation that day and it's a fine up to $500, but we have to have some proof, because it goes to municipal court. So there's pictures, documentation, time."
What do Stage 1 water restrictions do?
Here is a reminder of Stage 1 water restriction rules. Watering with irrigation or sprinklers is allowed one day per week on your trash pick-up day but you can only water on that day before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
Any watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. is still a violation regardless of the day.
"What we don't control is the weather, but what we do control is the distribution of water and that service," Zanoni said. "So we want to do our part to mitigate this drought that we're in. It's almost one of history, one that's going to hit the record books."
As a reminder, there should be no watering on weekends unless it falls under the guidelines of utilizing a handheld water hose. No irrigation should take place on weekends.
If you would like to report any water violations, you can do so by calling 311 or the City's number at 361-826-2489.
The city has provided even more detailed information on cctexas.com/conserve.
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