A STRICT citywide crackdown has left homeowners with hefty $500 fines if they are gardening incorrectly.

One woman in the Texas town left to go on vacation and was greeted with a ticket on her front door when she came back.

Corpus Christi, which is about three hours south of Houston, has been facing an extreme drought since December, and water levels are dangerously low.

Since then, the city has rigorously enforced water usage restrictions and issued fines if homeowners allow water to run into gutters or irrigate their properties illegally.

In the last three months alone, over 160 citations have been handed out, racking up more than $61,000 in fines, according to Corpus Christi Caller Times.

These penalties can reach as high as $500 per violation, and many residents have been left fuming over the fines.

Among the violations, most were for prohibited irrigation, 95 tickets in total.

Forty-three fines were handed out for water flowing into gutters, and another eight were for car-washing offenses.

Martha Kiel, a long-time resident and avid gardener, was one of the homeowners who received fines in early January.

“It feels invasive when I’m trying to do the right thing,” she told the local paper, calling the fine “exorbitant.”

She was ticketed for two violations, one for water running into her gutter and another for prohibited irrigation.

The gutter ticket was dismissed, but the second ticket, for irrigation that occurred while she was out of town, was reduced to $250 after Kiel spoke with the prosecutor.

“Why not just put a note on my door and say, ‘Hey, your sprinkler came on’?” Kiel said.

Despite the fine, Kiel is continuing her efforts to save her garden, which includes a variety of plants and trees.

She’s working with local services to irrigate her lawn with treated wastewater, which is now being made available for residential use.

RESTRICTIONS

The fines are a response to severe drought conditions, as water from Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon Reservoir dropped below 20%.

City data showed lake levels were down to just 17.1% as of Thursday.

City officials have been clear that the goal is not to generate revenue but to promote water conservation during this critical time.

Last year, in 2024, about 1,300 fines were issued under Stage 1 and Stage 2 restrictions, totaling around $402,000.

As of last week, the total number of fines issued in 2025 reached 162, with more residents facing the possibility of hefty fines for their water usage.

With water levels continuing to drop, officials are adamant about the need for compliance.

The city’s goal is to avoid reaching Stage 4 restrictions, which could bring even tighter limitations.

STRICTER MEASURES NEEDED

Environmental activists say the fines push homeowners to comply but argue that big industrial water users should face stricter conservation measures.

“(A citation) does scare people into not wanting to use their water during the drought,” said Jake Hernandez of the Texas Campaign for the Environment.

“Is it ethically ok? That’s where the conversation gets a little more nuanced.”

Officials recently tweaked some rules under the Stage 3 drought plan.

Residents can now hand-water trees, potted plants, and vegetable beds outside of peak hours.

Drip irrigation is allowed every other week.

The lawn turf watering remains banned unless using alternative sources like effluent water from the Oso Wastewater Treatment Plant.

“We’re buying ourselves time so that we can get to those points of the year where we see more of the beneficial rainfall,” Corpus Christi Water Resource Manager Esteban Ramos said.

“We do live on the edge of Wild Horse Desert, and from time to time, this desert situation pops up,” he added.