Corpusfishing.com

riofrio · Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 7:09 am Post subject: Call to Arms

Please comment to the TCEQ if you like to fish on the Texas Coast.....

The Port of Corpus Christi Authority of Nueces County proposes to operate a desalination facility on Harbor Island near Port Aransas with an effluent discharge outfall 300ft from the shoreline into the Corpus Christi Channel at a rate not to exceed 95,600,000 gallons per day (see application details link below). The location of this discharge is within the Redfish Bay State Scientific Area, an environmentally sensitive ecosystem. Numerous aquatic species, including but not limited to: blue crabs, menhaden, flounder species, shrimp species, red drum, trout, croaker, sea turtles, pinfish, pigfish, gafftopsail catfish, tarpon, tripletail and ling, utilize this coastal pass to reach their preferred habitats and food sources during various life stages.

The combination of increased water temperature and brine effluent at the discharge outfall could create an area of low dissolved oxygen content and pose significant risk to all manners of aquatic life, particularly winter spawning aggregations of sheepshead.

CCA Texas opposes this discharge permit for reasons mentioned above and we encourage our membership to lend their voice in opposition. You can file your personal comments by clicking here. Be sure to reference Permit No. WQ0005253000. Thank you for your efforts to protect and conserve our marine resources.

Comment Link to TCEQ

http://www14.tceq.texas.gov/epic/eComment/

Application Details

https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/c43bc452-5b67-4b56-8dd1-774f844a33c1/downloads/1cq7ej5p8_794269.pdf

speckled.trout · Full Grown Flour Bluffian Joined: 30 Aug 2012 Posts: 1190

I'm interested, I did notice the post did say "could create" are there studies that I could look at that contribute to the decision of the cca.

Thanks

Mike

hillcountryfisherman · Pony Mullet Joined: 15 Dec 2017 Posts: 58

I think quite the opposite will happen. Discharges at lakes as well as coastal bay systems create a lot of oxygen and also keep the water flow and current moving for better fishing.

Just because C.C.A does not agree, does not make it the gospel.

There is several reasons that S.E.A. was formed years ago, this thinking by C.C.A. is one example why S.E.A. is a great fisherman friendly organization.

Lots of locals with good intentions have gotten in trouble fishing at the discharge up the Oso where Barney Seal Power Plant has its discharge . ESPECIALLY IN THE WINTER WHERE THE WATER IS WARMER. [ HUGH TROUT ]

This will become a hot place to fish during the winter months !!

Tyler · Site Admin Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 12864

speckled.trout · Full Grown Flour Bluffian Joined: 30 Aug 2012 Posts: 1190

Water temperature can and is controlled by heat exchangers and cooling ponds
currently being done by refineries and power plants. Brine can be controlled by pumping water from the GOM into the brine warm water to lower temp. and salt levels before pumping back into the bay system after both reach required levels.

bulldog1935 · Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 9:46 am Post subject:

But the rivers running dry because of population growth and groundwater usage will certainly kill the estuaries, just like they did to the once largest mangrove estuary on the planet (universe) within our lifetimes -
- due to southern CA water usage - the mouth of the Colorado River in the Sea of Cortez.
The population of Texas is projected to double every 20 years.
If we don't get ahead of the curve, we will kill the rivers and coastal estuaries.

HungerBuster · Flour Bluffian in training Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 371

Well for this year, the discharge would be virtually irrelevant with all of the inflows into the bays from the fall rains. Ironically, if it were up and running now, it might actually be a good thing. But on the other hand, brine is a hard cookie to crack (no pun intended). It can be good. It can be bad. But if we need water...
_________________
Fish ON!

hillcountryfisherman · Pony Mullet Joined: 15 Dec 2017 Posts: 58

Yes you are correct, Corpus should have done this years ago. Droughts that effect Lake Mathis as well as Choke will always be around. Mary Rhodes pipeline as well can be a trickle if we get years back to back with out substantial rainfall.

Besides holding ponds that will benefit some wildlife, it has also been used for irrigation for years.

Quality Water is the biggest challenge Texans will have as time goes on.
I have two 400 ' plus wells, thank god, with just a few straws or neighbors with in 1/2 mile.

bulldog1935 · Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 3:28 pm Post subject:

yes, but those wells take water from Turtle Creek, Verde Creek, and Guadalupe River.
It's great for you, but it all adds up - actually subtracts - downstream.
We must have desalination (and water pipelines) for a determined fraction of our municipal water supplies, because the ground water cannot sustain the draw. Surface reservoirs are limited help because of evaporation losses.
I've used the example before that the Guadalupe stopped once at source of the Trinity seepage aquifer, which takes up to 10 cfs from the river (Spring Branch just above Canyon Lake) - that happened in 1955, the drought of record.
But from 2005 to 2015, the Guadalupe stopped there in 7 of those 10 years.

BayFly · Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 6:42 pm Post subject:

Why would it not be best if the desalination plants were established on the barrier islands, so their discharge could be directly into the Gulf?

rodandroll · Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 10:40 pm Post subject:

bulldog1935 · Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2018 5:53 am Post subject:

Nor is there a reason to stick our head in the sand. By eminent domain, the water belongs to the legislative water authorities - in your specific case, GBRA, et.al.
They're working on that. SAWS is working on a reservoir near Victoria with a water pipeline to send water up to SA - that pipeline will be in place when they can buy desal potable water.
TECQ also mandates all parking lot permits in acquifer recharge zone has a catch and filter system to put runoff back into the aquifer.
I think we'll see more and more systems where runoff is captured and stored in places other than surface reservoirs.

Increasing population (doubling every 20 years) is going to demand more water than any of us can imagine. It's not greed, it's known need, and watering people is always going to get legislative priority.
Kerrville growth is a drain - you don't generate water, you use it, exactly the same as the people downstream.
Likewise, Austin (Fredericksburg and Lampasas) growth will eventually kill the Lavaca bay systems.
If we get after it now, we can save both rivers and coastal estuaries.
In California, they waited to start on desalination until they had already killed their downstream estuary - Texas can do better - our grandchildren can have both rivers and coastal estuaries.

rodandroll · Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2018 9:28 pm Post subject:

bulldog1935 · Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2018 4:53 am Post subject:

whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting over

from Lamar Smith down, all my representatives have been hearing about the need for desalination for more than 10 years.
Currently, Cape Coral FL, Yuma AZ, and El Paso are the only municipal desalination water plants, but there are are almost 40 in the works on 3 coasts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination_by_country#United_States
FWIW, where I've lived for 20+ years, a manicured lawn has always been antisocial.
Back to the first point, of course Kerville growth is a drain on God's water supply, and everything down to Aransas NWR.
For everyone else, note the attitude, those who golf uphill should be allowed to kill the coastal estuary - bet y'all didn't know California was filled with redneck bile.
People are always going to get legislative priority for water supply, and the population is going to grow - our biggest growth factor is equities moving from CA - if we want to save the rivers and estuaries, we have to plan ahead.

bulldog1935 · Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 4:57 am Post subject:

Yes, I post when I have something to contribute.
I know every bridge you live anywhere near, have watched flood and drought there for the past 40 years. And every bridge within 100 miles of home.
I've watched flood lift flagstone to form holes and blocky dams - our hill country version of natural lakes - and fished them from inception to maturity.
I've also watched the connecting land being subdivided, and neighborhoods slowly saturate the land between all our rivers.
There's no stopping any of these forces, except the combination of growth and drought does stop our rivers, and the frequency has increased to the alarm point.

I have a pretty good conservation resume. Been on the board, VP or committee chair of Trout Unlimited since the '90s, and I Run Trout in the Classroom for Texas - 25 schools this year. I drive 1000 volunteer miles for the footwork.
I also hang with smart people. My friends are on the advisory board for TCEQ and TPWD.

Efforts to save our rivers will also save our coastal estuaries.