Corpus Christi looks to keep more water during drought conditions

Corpus Christi leaders say holding more water back could protect the region’s future supply.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A major change could be coming to the amount of water the City of Corpus Christi is required to release downstream into the Nueces Delta during drought conditions.

City leaders are now asking the TCEQ for an emergency waiver to allow it to hold onto more water in local reservoirs before mandatory environmental releases begin. Supporters say the move could help protect the region’s future water supply, while critics warn it could affect the health of the Coastal Bend bay system.

For decades, Corpus Christi has operated under a TCEQ agreed order requiring environmental water releases into the Nueces Delta once combined lake levels rise above 30 percent. But now City Manager Peter Zanoni wants to increase that threshold to 50 percent.

“Essentially, we would be asking to do no releases between 30 and 50 percent,” Zanoni said. “Let our reservoirs at least get to 50 percent, and then we would do releases consistent with the agreed order.”

Corpus Christi’s combined lake levels have remained below 30 percent for the past couple of years, meaning no mandatory environmental releases have been required during that time.

Former Corpus Christi City Councilman Kevin Kieschnick said he supports the proposed change, arguing it would help the city preserve more water during ongoing drought conditions.

“I think that’s a good start. It’s a step in the right direction because if we come up to 30 percent, then we’ll start dumping it off, and we’re just gonna be right back to where we are now,” Kieschnick said. “If you look at the last two years, the amount of water percentage that we’ve gone down has actually decreased because we’re not releasing it unnecessarily into the bay.”

Environmental groups and marine scientists, however, have long argued that freshwater inflows are critical to maintaining healthy salinity levels in the Nueces Bay system. Experts previously told 3News that those freshwater releases help support shrimp and blue crab populations and overall estuary health.

Zanoni said the city plans to work with environmental groups and scientists before pursuing any long-term, permanent changes to the agreed order. He also warned reopening the agreement could potentially lead to stricter environmental requirements for the city.

“Some folks have said, be careful what you wish for, because by opening the agreed order, it could introduce even more environmental conditions placed upon us,” Zanoni said. “Some say what you have today, be thankful for what you have.”

Zanoni said the city first wants to pursue that temporary modification increasing the release threshold from 30 percent to 50 percent before tackling a long-term amendment through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.