CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — KRIS6 News is answering your water questions every week, this week we take a dive into this statement: "Being screwed over again, getting water in to the lake and they probably want to release it," Patricia Cullen said.
Cullen is talking about a state agreement that requires freshwater to pass through the reservoir system and into the bays and estuaries downstream.
Here is how it works: water flowing into the reservoir system — up to a certain amount — must be allowed to continue flowing downstream to keep the bay ecosystem healthy, rather than being captured and stored.
The City of Corpus Christi, the Nueces River Authority, and the City of Three Rivers reached this agreement with the state in 1995. It was amended in 2001.
The agreement sets different pass through amounts based on how full the reservoirs are. When the system falls below 30 percent capacity, the pass through requirement is suspended.
State water data shows the combined capacity of both Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon is just 14 percent — well below that 30 percent threshold. The pass through requirement is currently suspended.
But there is an effort underway to update the agreement itself.
State Rep. Denise Villalobos sent a joint letter to the three organizations earlier this year calling for the order to be amended or vacated. There is currently some progress toward that effort by attempting to modify the 30 percent requirement to 50 percent.
All three certificate holders are in agreement to pursue the amendment.
A city spokesperson says the city is working with state officials and consultants to better understand the situation and find a path forward during ongoing drought conditions.
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