Corpus Christi continues to reach out to the region on alternative water supplies.
The city is about a year out from a potential Level 1 Water Emergency. As of Wednesday, its water supplies include: Lake Corpus Christi, at 12.4 % capacity – which has increased from 11.9% a week ago due to recent rainfall – and Choke Canyon Lake Reservoir holding steady at 10.2% capacity.
City and water officials hosted an information session Monday night to discuss the Evangeline Groundwater Wells project, which would draw water from the aquifer in San Patricio County.
Corpus Christi City officials have met with other residents and officials across South Texas for the past several months. South Texas Public Broadcasting reached out to several of those entities.
Officials with the Lavaca Navidad River Authority (LNRA) issued a written statement, applauded the vision and efforts shown by the City of Corpus Christi and the Nueces River Authority to advance desalination as a future regional water supply.
“Resiliency is a critical component to sustainability!” LNRA General Manager Patrick Brzozowski said in his statement. “While costs and permitting will always be a driver in the discussion water supply development, in my opinion creating a drought resilient supply, for a drought prone region, is invaluable.”
Brzozowski understands that over the past 4-plus years, the region has steadily transitioned into raised drought conditions, receiving little to no runoff-producing rainfall in that time to replenish the water sources. As of Wednesday, Lake Texana, in Jackson County, is 70.5% full.
“This said,” Brzozowski said, “portions of the Lavaca Basin are experiencing moderately dry to extremely dry conditions, albeit not as intense or as prolonged as that which has been experienced in the Nueces Basin over the same time period.”
Brzozowski said the LNRA's Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) reached a second drought trigger level towards the end of the summer when Lake Texana fell below 78.18% capacity. The River Authority then reduced freshwater releases downstream of the lake to minimum streamflow. The plan’s next trigger level will be activated if Lake Texana falls to 50% capacity.
“If that happens,” Brzozowski said, “LNRA will follow our DCP and work with all of our water customers to appropriately manage the volume of water remaining, on a pro-rata basis.”
