CORPUS CHRSTI, Tx — After several days of rainfall across the Coastal Bend, the region has received more rain than it typically sees in November. But how much of that rain is actually helping replenish Corpus Christi's water supply?
While the recent rainfall is welcomed, not all of it is making its way into the reservoirs the city depends on for its water supply.
"One thing that I don't think a lot of people understand is it's very important where that rain falls," said KRIS 6 Meteorologist Steven Jones.
For Corpus Christi, that means rain needs to fall north and west of Choke Canyon Reservoir, in the heart of the Nueces River watershed. Rainfall in that area can help replenish both Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Corpus Christi.
And according to Corpus Christi Water officials, there are already some encouraging signs.
"We have seen because the rainfall yesterday, stream flow increases near, Tilden. And Cotulla along the Nueces River, that's a good sign for us. That means over the next, week or so we will likely see an increase in, reservoir percentages," said Nick Winkelmann, chief operating officer for Corpus Christi Water.
As of Monday, Nov. 9, Lake Corpus Christi was at 79.3% capacity, while Choke Canyon Reservoir was at 21%. Combined, the two reservoirs were at 37.3% capacity.
Jones said reservoir levels had been declining over the past several weeks, but the recent rainfall has brought some improvement.
"For the past few weeks, I have just been seeing it go down week after week after week. Luckily, this week with the rains that we've seen, we actually saw Lake Corpus Christi rise a little bit," Jones said. "It wasn't a substantial rise as of yet, but we are still getting some of that rain."
Looking ahead, El Niño could bring a wetter-than-average winter to the Coastal Bend. However, city officials say even additional rainfall may not be enough to make up for years of drought.
"Typically the winter months, December, January, February are, our lowest normal rainfall events, of the year. So even if you see twice as much rainfall those months, it's still not a lot of rain," Winkelmann said.
To help secure the city's long-term water supply, Corpus Christi Water is also working to expand its use of groundwater and recycled wastewater, reducing its dependence on surface water.
Despite the recent rainfall, the Coastal Bend remains behind on rainfall for the year, according to Jones.
Corpus Christi also remains under Stage 1 water restrictions, and residents are encouraged to continue conserving water as the city works to strengthen its water supply.
