City officials announced Monday the City Council’s recent revisions to the drought contingency plan are in effect, and that means water use restrictions will only start if water supply levels decrease.
"It’s important to make sure the citizens are aware of exactly where we are," City Manager Margie Rose said.
"We do have a large supply of water, but we still want to be able to conserve in the right ways."
As of Monday, the lake accounted for about a quarter of the city’s current water supply.
Under the new plan, stage one restrictions, which are voluntary, would not start unless the combined capacity of the Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Corpus Christi dropped below 50 percent — or if Lake Texana dropped below 40 percent — for 15 consecutive days.
The last time that happened was late 2014 or early 2015, said Esteban Ramos, the city’s water resource manager.
"Citizens should not be afraid of a drought, but we should be informed and prepared for it," Ramos said.
"This plan does that."
"This gives us the opportunity to use that water," McComb said.
Still, city leaders are encouraging residents to water before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. to avoid the water evaporating before it can reach the root system of lawns.