| As the years have progressed, South Texas' population has grown rapidly, causing a strain on the already limited water resource. As the increase in water demands continued to grow, an alternative means for water supply was considered. Two alternatives were developed to increase the supply of water to the Coastal Bend area: Lake Corpus Christi, constructed in 1958, and Choke Canyon reservoir, constructed in 1982. Although the construction of these two reservoirs allowed water to become more accessible to the area, the amount of freshwater inflows into Corpus Christi bay was believed to be altered. Two water management policies were put into effect in order to address the freshwater needs of the bay: (1) the 1995 "pass-thru" policy and (2) the 2001 "pass-thru" policy. Theses policies make it mandatory for the City of Corpus Christi to allow freshwater to pass through the reservoir system into the Nueces Estuary. Several different statistical techniques were adopted in this study. The results of the study indicate that while it is probable to detect "average" changes due to intervention, discerning of trends caused due to these interventions is not likely. The variability in the regional hydrology seems to mask any alterations due to these interventions. |
