HomeMy WebLinkAbout022027 RES - 09/13/1994A RESOLUTION
EXPRESSING THE CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI'S INTENT
TO ACQUIRE AND PROTECT VALUABLE WETLANDS
AND WILDLIFE HABITAT IN THE NUECES RIVER DELTA
AS PART OF AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND
THE BUREAU OF RECLAMATION ON THE
RESTRUCTURING OF THE FEDERAL DEBT OBLIGATION
FOR CHOKE CANYON RESERVOIR.
WHEREAS, the City of Corpus Christi, Texas and the Nueces River Authority, as local
cosponsors, entered into a contract with the United States of America (United States Department of'
the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, hereinafter referred to as the "Bureau") on June 30, 1976 for
the construction, operation and maintenance of the Nueces River Federal Reclamation Project, Texas
(hereinafter referred to as "Choke Canyon Reservoir"), for the purpose of building the Choke Canyon
Dam and Reservoir on the Frio River near Three Rivers Texas in order to store, regulate and furnish
water for municipal and industrial (M&I) use, conserve and develop fish and wildlife resources and
enhance outdoor recreational activities;
WHEREAS, the City of Corpus Christi and the Nueces River Authority agreed to be
obligated to repay reimbursable project costs following completion of the facilities, as well as to make
advance funding payment toward construction costs, and to pay interest on the unpaid balance of
those costs;
WHEREAS, while the Bureau originally estimated that Choke Canyon Reservoir, when
operated as a system with the existing Lake Corpus Christi reservoir, would provide 252,000 acre-
feet of firm annual yield for M&I use, recent studies by the City of Corpus Christi have demonstrated
that the firm annual yield for M&I use may be as little as 192,000 acre-feet;
WHEREAS, because the diminishment in firm annual yield seriously affects the ability of the
Choke Canyon/Lake Corpus Christi reservoir system to meet the long term water supply needs of the
system's twelve county service area, the City of Corpus Christi must spend considerable amounts of
money to identify, evaluate, acquire and develop compensatory water supplies;
WHEREAS, the Bureau, as the federal sponsor and owner of the project, agreed, subject
to appropriations, to mitigate the terrestrial impacts of the reservoir construction by purchasing and
protecting approximately 8,854 acres of wildlife habitat, but has not yet fulfilled such obligation;
WHEREAS, the Nueces River Delta marsh area is recognized by local, state and federal
agencies and environmental groups as being an area of tremendous importance to the ecological
health of the entire Nueces Estuary and an area of international significance in terms of habitat for
neotropical migratory birds and other wildlife;
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WHEREAS, the City and the Bureau have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding
for wetlands enhancement projects in the Nueces River Delta area, wherein additional freshwater
sources, including treated municipal wastewater effluents, would be provided to areas within the
Delta to increase the productivity of the marsh systems;
WHEREAS, ownership of the property comprising the Nueces River Delta and adjacent
upland riparian areas would facilitate the conduct of projects by the Bureau and the City, would
protect the area's ecological importance, and would provide the public access for "eco -tourism"
activities;
WHEREAS, legislation has been introduced in Congress to restructure the local sponsors'
share of the federal debt obligation on the project so as to achieve a savings that could be used to help
offset some of the expense associated with developing additional water supplies to offset the
diminished yield from the Choke Canyon/Lake Corpus Christi reservoir system;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS:
SECTION 1. That the City of Corpus Christi seeks certain savings related to its outstanding
debt obligation for the construction of Choke Canyon Reservoir based upon failure of the
construction to produce expected firm water supply.
SECTION 2. That the City of Corpus Christi requests the Bureau to cooperate in pursuing
negotiated agreements with other Federal and State resource agencies, local agencies, and
environmental interests relating to the resolution of outstanding issues regarding freshwater inflows
to the Nueces Estuary, acquisition of property in the Nueces Delta for environmental purposes, and
the acquisition of water supplies.
SECTION 3. That the City of Corpus Christi is committed to including the acquisition of
the property in the Nueces Delta as a part of the benefits achieved by restructuring the Choke Canyon
debt provided that such restructuring provides sufficient monies in an amount acceptable to the City
Council (1) to acquire the property for permanent management by a suitable state or federal agency
and (2) to provide substantial additional water supplies for the City.
ATTEST:
City Secretary
MAYO
CIT
APPROVED THIS 25TH DAY OF AUGUST, 1994
JAMES R. BRAY JR. CITY ATTORNEY
By
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Corpus Christi, Texas
(3 day of
ry 1
, 19
The above resolution was passed by the following vote:
Mary Rhodes
Dr. Jack Best
Melody Cooper
Cezar Galindo
Betty Jean Longoria
Edward A. Martin
Dr. David McNichols
David Noyola
Clif Moss
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