CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — For this week’s Water Wednesday, a viewer named TommieSue Arnold reached out after a restroom visit at Corpus Christi City Hall triggered multiple flushes. She wondered how much water that could add up to over time.
she wrote:
KRIS 6 News visited the restroom in question and monitored the toilets for about 15 minutes. Despite a few curious looks from others coming and going, there were no repeated or abnormal flushes. The toilets appeared to be operating normally.
Another tip led the station to the Dr. Clotilde P. Garcia Public Library, where a viewer reported water gushing from a sink.
At the library, there was water around the sink area. However, the faucet itself — a motion-activated model — was not running continuously. The water flow was strong, which could make it easy for users to splash water onto the counter while washing their hands.
City officials told KRIS 6 that during renovations, older high-flow fixtures are being replaced with low-flow systems designed to conserve water. Motion-activated faucets and toilets are intended to reduce overall water use and improve hygiene. Recent renovations include the Ethel Eyerly Senior Center, which recently upgraded its toilets to meet modern efficiency standards.
Officials said when sensors activate unexpectedly, as in TommieSue’s experience, maintenance crews can recalibrate the sensitivity to prevent unnecessary flushing. They added that plumbing fixtures across City Hall and other municipal buildings are calibrated to the lowest possible flow rates to maximize conservation.
City leaders said the most significant water savings often come from infrastructure upgrades behind the scenes, not just from what is visible at sinks and toilets.
While not every splash signals waste, every concern is worth investigating.
