A week after heavy rains deluged South Central Texas, shutting down towns and killing two people, rivers across the region continue to funnel stormwater runoff toward the sea. And that could have major implications for the Coastal Bend, which earlier this year was poised to become the first region in Texas to face a Level 1 water emergency.
The Nueces River reached major flood stage in Cotulla on Tuesday night, while about 45 miles to the east, the Frio River reached major flood stage in Tilden. Floodwaters from the two rivers continue to flow east toward their outfalls — the Frio directly into the Nueces River just outside of Three Rivers and the Nueces River into the Nueces Bay in Corpus Christi.
Along the way, the floodwaters will pour into the Coastal Bend’s two largest reservoirs — Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Corpus Christi — that, up until recent drought, were responsible for providing the lion’s share of the region’s fresh water…