AWWA ACE63092

The objective of the Nueces River Basin Feasibility Study is to investigate opportunitiesfor flood damage reduction, ecosystem restoration, and multipurpose projects located inthe Nueces River Basin that have a justified federal interest in being pursued for furtherstudy. Opportunities to develop an environmentally sustainable, holistic watershedapproach to address the water resource problems of the Nueces River basin will beevaluated through a combination of unique alternatives using the U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers (COE) planning process.The Edwards Aquifer recharge zone stretches across the upper portion of the basin in aseries of exposed fractured limestone formations. The aquifer serves as the primarydrinking water supply for the city of San Antonio, located in the Guadalupe-San AntonioRiver Basin. Alternatives include looking at developing recharge enhancement structuresacross the recharge zone. These structures provide additional recharge into the aquiferthat in turn will be used to enhance the city of San Antonio's water supply and increasespring flows associated with the aquifer, which are the only habitat of several endangeredspecies.The Nueces River Basin is rather unique when compared to other basins in Texas as twolarge water supply reservoirs (Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Corpus Christi) serveas the primary water supply source for approximately 500,000 people surrounding andincluding the city of Corpus Christi. Since the completion of these reservoirs, historicalflows into the Nueces Delta and Estuary have been reduced resulting in occasionallyhyper-saline conditions in the delta. One goal of the study is to identify alternatives thatcould be developed to improve the habitat in the delta, either through increasedfreshwater inflow or by discharge of nutrient-rich water to strategic locations.The overall goal of the study is to provide for ecosystem restoration to two keyecosystems; the Nueces Estuary and the springs (associated with Edwards Aquifer) thatserve as the habitat for several endangered species. The challenge is to identify andformulate alternatives that both provide benefit to these ecosystems while minimizingimpacts from the new projects and producing additional water supplies and flood damagereduction benefits for the residents of the basin. The COE planning process is a newapproach to addressing the concept of water resource management. A distinctive aspectof this study is that it is being performed on a basin-wide scale. This creates some issueswhen dealing with a basin this diverse with perennial flowing streams in the hill country,to the dry stream reaches of the Edwards outcrop, to the flat meandering reaches of theNueces River down to the Nueces Estuary. The COE study addresses these issues andpresents potential alternatives that have a strong probability of being able to providesimultaneously for man and nature's need for water. Includes tables, figures.

Product Details

Edition:

Vol. - No.

Published:

06/01/2006

Number of Pages:

16

File Size:

1 file , 820 KB