Corpus Christi has moved from stage 3 to stage 2 water restrictions a milestone the city hasn't reached in nearly 600 days.City Manager Peter Zanoni made the announcement Tuesday."As the City Manager, hereby declare that effect ive immediately, Corpus Christi is now moving into stage 2 water restrictions," Zanoni said. Corpus Christi eases to stage 2 water restrictions after nearly 600 days in stage 3The city had been under stage 3 restrictions since December 16, 2024. The downgrade comes as reservoirs have climbed above 30% of capacity.What changes under stage 2Residents can now water their lawns and landscaping every other week, before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m. Watering schedules are based on which area of the city a resident lives in. The city provided details with a map and calendar seen below. Residents may also wash vehicles using hoses equipped with a positive shutoff valve and water their foundations at any time.Water releases still on the tableThe city is also weighing whether to pause mandatory water releases from its reservoirs. Those releases serve environmental purposes, but Corpus Christi hopes to retain the water until reservoirs reach at least 50% of capacity.Zanoni said the city could submit a request as soon as this Friday to temporarily stop the releases."We're hoping that on Friday we can also hand-deliver them the application to put this reprieve into place," Zanoni said.The releases amount to a significant volume of water."It's about 8 million gallons a day. That is equivalent to one of our largest industrial customers," Zanoni said.Zanoni said the city has not yet released any water and plans to wait until later in August, with hopes of securing approval to pause the releases before that deadline.Leaders urge continued focus on long-term water securityDespite Tuesday's positive news, city leaders say the urgency around securing the region's water future has not eased."We have to continue to support the projects that we've invested in that secure our current water portfolio," Corpus Christi City Council District 4 representative Kaylynn Paxson said.Mayor Paulette Guajardo echoed that message."This is the time to continue working even harder to secure a drought-proof water supply," Guajardo said.For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App. Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today! ...read more read less