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Water Levels Reach Point Of Restriction: Lake Texana Helps Carry The Load
Posted: Dec 5, 2012 5:31 PM by Mitch Bryan
Updated: Dec 5, 2012 6:46 PM
CORPUS CHRISTI - With level two water restrictions set to be announced tomorrow, the city will be asking for residents to conserve water whenever possible.
Most folks are familiar with Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon, which make up the city's water reservoir system. But as Mitch Bryan reports, we also get a lot of a lot of our water, from a 3rd lake, way up the coast in Jackson County.
As Lake Corpus Christi hovers at a 40% water level, the City Water Department waits to see if evaporation will put us under the 40% mark, thus setting into motion city-wide water restrictions .
But as it turns out, there is one more lake that, for the last 12 years, has been helping keep our water levels above that cut-off point.
It's Lake Texana in Edna, Texas near Victoria.
"The lake is 167,000 acre feet, compared to our 250,000 acre feet at Lake Corpus Christi."
According to Director of Water Operations, Gus Gonzalez, even though Lake Texana is about 2/3rds the size of Lake Corpus Christi, it still contributes just under half of our city's water supply.
"40% of our water is drawn from Lake Texana every year and we do draw from it everyday," said Gonzalez.
And while aerial footage of a drying Lake Corpus Christi like this, does worry City Water officials, Lake Texana is a prime example of forward thinking and the need to be prepared.
Gus added, "The nice thing about Lake Texana is in that region they get 40 inches of rain compared to our 30 inches, so we always stand a chance of it being full."
The water from Lake Texana is pumped through the 101 mile, Mary Rhodes Pipeline to the water plant in Calallen before being pumped to Corpus Christi.
"It certainly augments our supply and helps us sustain our lake level a little bit higher over the long term. So, it's significant to us," Gus said.
According to officials, without Lake Texana backing us up, Lake Corpus Christi would be even lower and the city would have enacted water restrictions some time ago.
Gonzalez says, "If we didn't have the pipeline or Lake Texana in our mix of water supply, we would probably be at 30% today. Meaning, at 40%, we would certainly have depleted the lakes much sooner."
The mayor will hold a news conference tomorrow morning, to discuss the water situation.
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