Corpus Christi, Texas, has imposed Stage 3 water restrictions as a drought lasting most of the past seven years has depleted the city's water reserves to record lows. The city of about 317,000 people is tapping additional groundwater and pursuing new supply sources to prevent a shortage that could force cutbacks for residents and hobble refineries and petrochemical plants in the region.

Key water reservoirs are at their lowest level ever, and the drought is not expected to lift by summer. Reservoirs never fully recharged after a previous drought in the early 2010s, worsening the current shortage. The severity of the drought was not anticipated, and new sources of reliable water did not arrive as expected. Those shortfalls coincided with increased water sales to large industrial customers, including a petrochemical plant and a steel mill added to the city's roster.

"We just have not kept up with water supply and water infrastructure like we should have. And it's decades in the making," Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni said. He said big industry consumes as much as 60 percent of the city's water supply.

After the early 2010s drought, the city approved a pipeline extension to bring more water from the Colorado River and promoted conservation, and water use fell. The pipeline reached full capacity only last year. In 2016, experts recommended building a seawater desalination plant, but discussions stalled over concerns about costs of up to $1.3 billion and environmental impacts. "If the then-city council had followed through on that, we would have had that plant up and running by now," Zanoni said.

The Stage 3 restrictions pause many outdoor water uses. The city's drought plan allows charging extra fees for high usage, though none have been imposed. Large industrial users can pay a permanent surcharge to avoid larger drought fees. A city statement said industry does not receive a pass on conservation or forced curtailment, and that business surcharges have raised $6 million per year.

Isabel Araiza, co-founder of a grassroots group active on water issues, said many residents are angry about lawn-watering bans, rising bills, and potential fines. She said some residents do not feel industry will share in the conservation burden, and that once companies pay the surcharge, they have no incentive to conserve.

Bob Paulison, executive director of the Coastal Bend Industry Association, said it is wrong to suggest industry is not helping. He said companies have stopped landscaping, are recycling water for essential cooling needs, and are exploring alternative sources, though companies producing fuel, polymers, iron, and steel have the least flexibility in reducing usage.

The city has tapped millions of gallons of new groundwater and is pursuing the Evangeline Groundwater Project, involving a pipeline and about two dozen wells that could provide enough water to avert a water emergency. The project requires state approval, but water could flow as soon as November. A water emergency is declared when supply is projected to fall short of demand within 180 days; officials said one could occur as early as May, as late as October, or not at all.

Water rates may eventually double as the city invests roughly $1 billion in infrastructure, Zanoni said. "We are hoping we don't get there, but we don't work on hope," he said.