CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — On the heels of a rainy day on Thursday, Corpus Christi Water officials said they want to see more water in the watershed as we remain in Stage 2 water restrictions.
They explained what it would take to eventually move out of those restrictions.
"It would take 10 inches of rain in the right places, so that we can capture that water," Water Resource Manager for Corpus Christi Water Esteban Ramos said.
The water resource manager said where the rain falls determines our ability to eventually leave Stage 2 water restrictions. He said that includes rainfall along different rivers that feed into Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon.
He said recent rain in our area buys time between now and the end of summer, which is important since we do not know how much is coming.
"Every year, I don't know if Mother Nature is going to provide us with the necessary rainfall to fill our reservoirs," Ramos said.
Even after rain during recent weather events like Tropical Storm Alberto, he said it still needs to fall in the watershed for it to help our drought situation.
"It may help us today, it may help us a little tomorrow, but it doesn't help us for the overall water supply," Ramos said.
The current combined lake levels at Choke Canyon and Lake Corpus Christi are 26.7 percent, according to Ramos. He said that it needs to be at least 40 percent for Corpus Christi to get out of Stage 2 water restrictions.
"Every drop counts," Ramos said. "We just need to make sure that we are still conscious of the overall drought situation that we find ourselves in today."
Ramos also offered some tips for conserving water and helping our drought situation. He mentioned taking shorter showers, turning off faucets and checking for leaks as a few things you can do to save water.