CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas —
Reports of overflow at the LaBonte Park saltwater barrier dam this week are raising questions about Corpus Christi's water management.
The dam separates the region's freshwater supply from saltwater. When it overflows, that freshwater is lost into the saltwater supply.
Kelly Harlan, a petitioner with the Nueces County Groundwater Conservation District, is among those watching the situation closely.
"A couple months ago we're talking about going into emergency and now they're just pumping the water letting it go over the dam," Harlan said.
Harlan also questioned whether city officials share the public's concern about the water supply.
"Do they not care about the water as much as we do?" Harlan said.
I brought these concerns to Nick Winkelmann of Corpus Christi Water.
Winkelmann explained that when the Mary Rhodes Pipeline went down for maintenance, his staff needed to find 72 million gallons of water a day. That water came from the Nueces Groundwater Project and the western reservoirs.
Because it takes 3 to 4 days for that water to reach the O.N. Stevens Water Treatment Plant, Corpus Christi Water acted early.
"Releasing a higher flow of water to get the water to O.N. Stevens in an expedited fashion with the end goal of always having enough water so we can supply the region," Winkelmann said.
Winkelmann said an unexpected decrease in water demand also contributed to the overflow.
"One of our customers who also pulls directly from the Nueces River they had some infrastructure problems and they took a lot less water than what was projected," Winkelmann said.
Harlan also raised concerns about potential flooding, with significant rain possibly coming this weekend.
"We don't have much room in Lake Corpus Christi to store flood, so they're going to let that out. What are they going to do about it?" Harlan said.
Winkelmann said Corpus Christi Water is prepared to address any flooding issues at Lake Corpus Christi. He added that forecasts suggest rain could fall in another western reservoir.
"We had our call with the National Weather Service on Monday and we reviewed some of the potential for rain in the watershed. It was very encouraging. Specifically some rain in the Choke Canyon reservoir," Winkelmann said.
Winkelmann said the city has another call with the National Weather Service scheduled later in the week.
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