Stage 3 Watering Restrictions: Here’s What We CAN Do!

We know that watering restrictions, especially the new Stage 3 ban on most outdoor watering, are cause for alarm for gardeners. We are in close contact with City leadership, and we’re here to help you navigate the situation. As always, Gill’s is here to show you what you CAN do in the garden, not what you can’t do.

1. URGENT:  You CAN (and should) Ask City Leadership to Revise the Drought Contingency Plan

At a minimum, we need to be able to hand water to keep trees and established landscapes alive through the drought. We all need to continue to contact City leadership to urge them to make necessary revisions to the Drought Contingency Plan. We wrote the letter below as a template for you to use. We recommend copying it, customizing it however you wish, and sending it via mail and/or email to City Council members, Mayor Guajardo, City Manager Peter Zanoni, and Corpus Christi Water COO Drew Molly (their contact information can be found at these links). If you can contact the new incoming 2025 Council members, reach out to them too! Here’s our letter template for you to use:

Dear City Council Members, Mayor, City Manager, and Corpus Christi Water:

The Stage 3 ban on all outdoor water use is not compliable for citizens or enforceable by the City. We need a Drought Contingency Plan that citizens can comply with and conserve water while still protecting their investments in their property.

We ask that you review and revise the Drought Contingency Plan. Specifically, section 10.3. Stage 3 Response should be revised to include:

• Allow irrigation of landscaped areas on any day if it is by means of a hand-held hose (with positive shutoff nozzle), a faucet filled bucket or watering can of five gallons or less, or drip irrigation system with a positive shutoff device.
• Allow temporary exemptions to watering restrictions for new plantings for up to 60 days.

Since we know that residences account for less than half of city water use, and we know that only some of those users water their landscapes, the Stage 3 ban on hand watering and drip irrigation would save only a very small portion of overall water use. These small water savings are not worth the negative environmental impacts and economic hardships they will cause.

Please revise the Drought Contingency Plan as soon as possible.

Respectfully,

[Your Name]

2. You CAN Water Potted Plants, Food Gardens, and Food-Bearing Trees

We confirmed with City leadership this week that you CAN water all potted plants, food gardens, and food-bearing trees by hand-held hose with positive shutoff nozzle at any time without the need to apply for an exemption to watering rules. That means winter veggies and herbs, citrus and fruit trees, and all your festive potted arrangements are all safe. We’re envisioning lots more food gardens and edible landscapes in 2025!

3. You CAN Still Apply for Watering Exemptions for Other New Plantings

For any new plantings, you CAN use the City’s form to apply for an exemption to the watering restrictions to help get the plants established. We handle these exemptions for our landscape clients, and we can help you with the calculations and technical information depending on the type of watering you’ll be doing. Just give us a call or stop by!

4. You CAN Collect and Recycle Water to Use Outside

There are no limits or restrictions on the use of rainwater, A/C condensate, dehumidifier condensate, or gray water (recycled water) for outdoor watering. Consider adding a few rain barrels or investing in a larger rainwater harvesting system like the one we have at Gill’s – yes, we sell stainless steel cisterns in lots of different sizes and our landscape department can install them for you. Some of us have also been experimenting with gray water collection from our washing machines and dishwashers. A single washing machine load can produce 15 to 40 gallons of gray water! As long as you use chemical and salt-free cleaning products, most plants and lawns will do just fine with recycled gray water.

5. You CAN Still Make Big Landscape Improvements While Saving Water

There are still lots of options for adding new functional landscape design elements and improving your property. Now’s a great time to start planning new projects like patios, walkways, pergolas, outdoor seating and dining areas, new raised beds, and new layouts accented with smart plant choices. Think low-water Texas native plants, big statement cacti and agaves, replacing lawn areas with native groundcover plants like Frog Fruit or Wooly Stemodia…we’ve got options!