The 2001 Agreed Order is available on the city of Corpus Christi’s website and in the Drought Contingency Plan (toward the end of the document).
The document lays out how much water must be released or passes through the reservoirs down the Nueces River and into Corpus Christi Bay. There are two main goals with this plan: to protect the water supply, and to protect the health of the ecosystem in Corpus Christi Bay.
How much water passes through the reservoir is determined by a lot of factors, and it’s determined on a month-to-month basis. The math is complicated, but simply put:
- When combined capacity between Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon is at 70% or above, the yearly target is 138,000 acre feet — that’s 42 billion gallons, or about 64,000 Olympic swimming pools.
- When combined capacity is between 40 and 70%, that target is 97,000 acre feet, or about 48,000 Olympic swimming pools.
- When combined capacity falls below 30%, pass-throughs are suspended, but the city can gain credits toward that pass-through target, such as the release of treated wastewater. The city can get back around 54,000 acre feet — about 26,000 Olympic swimming pools — back in the budget.
Have a question about the agreed order? Feel free to send an email Stefanie Lauber…