A popular, free program intended to revive lawns turned brown by drought may come with a price tag in the future.
Corpus Christi city officials this week described great success with the city’s water reclamation program, which offers residents and businesses an option to load up on free treated wastewater that can be used for landscape irrigation.
Whether the service should remain free — or whether there should be a charge attached to its use, at some point — was at the crux of budget discussions among City Council members on Aug. 13.
Keeping the program going will require an infusion of resources, staff told the council as part of a request for an additional seven positions within the wastewater division of Corpus Christi Water.
It is currently being manned by wastewater maintenance technicians, said Wes Nebgen, director of water systems infrastructure.
“Our current model that we’re using is not sustainable — we cannot keep pulling maintenance staff from other areas to continue to run this station and expect our plants and our infrastructure to operate at the levels that are needed,” he said. “Without the additional employees, we will have to really look at either shutting down the station or severely limiting the amount of time that we have it open.”
One way to do it would be to assess a fee to permit holders — which include residents and businesses — that could help bring in revenue to support operations of the station, several officials said.
The conversation closely mirrors proposals made earlier this month to assess new fees or increase fees for access to certain community resources, such as an after-school program managed by the city.
A fee to use the water reclamation program wouldn’t necessarily “need to be a huge amount of money,” said City Councilwoman Carolyn Vaughn, “but I think you have to pay for your costs.”
“It’s not fair for everyone else to have to pick that up,” she said.
The program
The water reclamation program spiked in popularity after Stage 3 drought restrictions were announced in December, a development that sent some residents and landscaping businesses scrambling to find a way to preserve their lawns and, in some cases, livelihoods.
Stage 3 drought restrictions prohibit watering turf with potable water from the public water system, leaving residents with few options other than using the water reclamation program to care for their landscaping.
The program offers wastewater treated to a standard fit for irrigation, but not for consumption.
Under the initiative, individuals and commercial businesses approved for permits may go to the Oso Wastewater Treatment Plant and fill water storage containers that can then be carried off site for landscaping.
Permits to collect the effluent now total about 500, Nebgen told the council, with the average permit holder picking up about 500 gallons.
Residents represent about 70% of patrons, and commercial businesses, about 30%, he said.
The service operates between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday and Sunday — but the plant typically taps out on available treated wastewater before that window closes, Nebgen said.
The department distributes about 20,000 gallons per day, according to the presentation made before the council.
Potential fees
The program has been in place for about two years, said City Manager Peter Zanoni, and making the service free was intended to act as an incentive.
Staff isn’t currently recommending that a fee be implemented, he said.
Some council members’ concerns centered on individual use versus commercial use of the reclaimed wastewater.
In a way, the free water has generated its own type of business, said City Councilman Everett Roy.
“When we made this water available, we created a new — I don’t want to call it an industry — but we created a new job classification out there,” he said.
“You have now these companies that are collecting the water and then they’re going out as far as … Calallen, and they’re watering people’s lawns and they’re charging a fee and some of them are pretty hefty.”
A specific fee amount, should the council pursue one either this budget season or in the future, hasn’t been formally proposed.
One option would be to institute a fee and increase it over time, said Kamil Taras, CCW assistant director.
Some council members agreed that there will likely be a need to one day charge for the service.
It makes sense to charge a nominal amount, but a few years into the program, said City Councilman Mark Scott.
“It’s not their fault we ran out of water,” he said.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Could a fee be coming to Corpus Christi’s recycled water program? Here’s what council says
Reporting by Kirsten Crow, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times
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