Lake Corpus Christi drops below 10% capacity for first time as city eyes Level 1 emergency

Photo by: KRIS
KRIS 6 News
Posted 6:16 AM, Mar 05, 2026
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Lake Corpus Christi marked a disturbing milestone Thursday, dropping below 10% of capacity for the first time ever.
As of Thursday morning, the lake sat at 9.9% of capacity. Choke Canyon Reservoir is in worse condition, with its water level at 8.3% of capacity. The combined
capacity of Choke Canyon and Lake Corpus Christi stands at 8.7%.
The milestone comes as City Manager Peter Zanoni holds meetings with Corpus Christi water and city leaders to formulate a plan on how a Level 1 water emergency will be implemented.
The city is currently under Stage 3 water restrictions. Under Stage 3, the city has implemented restrictions that achieve a 15% or greater reduction in daily water use.
A Level 1 water emergency would require a 25% reduction in water use.