It’s all in the numbers: Corpus Christi residents have significantly restricted their water use amid drought, but permit requests for the construction of pools have not substantially changed since Stage 2 drought was declared more than two years ago.
Average households have dropped water use from about 6,000 gallons per month to between 4,500 and 5,000 gallons per month, city officials have said.
The Caller-Times analyzed Development Services’ publicly available permit records to establish trends from January 2024 through April 2026.
While not staggering numbers, the stats lend insight into the drought response.
Stage 2 drought was declared in March 2024, and Stage 3 drought was declared in December 2024 and continues through the present.
The number of permits issued for pool construction between 2024 and 2025 was nearly on par, with permits requested numbering 250 and 231, respectively. The majority were set for locations in the 78418 ZIP code, followed by the 78414 and 78415 ZIP codes, according to the data.
The number of permits issued for pool construction, however, slightly increased when comparing the first four months of 2025 to the first four months of 2026, the analysis shows.
From January to April 2025, 74 pool construction permits were issued compared to the same time period in 2026, when about 88 were issued, according to records — just below the 91 issued from January to April in 2024, which had seen the transition from Stage 1 to Stage 2 drought.
In the first four months of the year, the lion’s share of locations for planned pool building were at addresses in the 78418 ZIP code — totaling about 29 — followed by the 78414 and 78415 ZIP codes, both totaling about 18, according to the analysis.
There isn’t a rule that bars pool construction in any of the drought stages, including a water emergency, which is projected as a possibility come the early months of 2027.
There are rules, however, intended to minimize water usage for pools during a water shortage.
According to the Drought Contingency Plan, those include:
City officials decided to open the city’s municipal splash pads and pools for the summer.
Staff has said water-saving measures include recycling water for the splash pads and, for pools, using an additive to mitigate evaporation and also covering them when not in use.
Officials have estimated that, altogether, the city’s five splash pads and six pools use about 1.8 million gallons of water during the 70 days of the summer season.
Kirsten Crow covers city government and water news. Have a story idea? Contact her at kirsten.crow@caller.com.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: See how many permits were granted for pools amid Corpus Christi drought
Reporting by Kirsten Crow, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times
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By Kirsten Crow, Corpus Christi Caller Times | USA TODAY Network
