The document discusses freshwater inflows and instream flows in the Colorado River basin. It provides data on the amount of freshwater that flowed into the Colorado River and Matagorda Bay in 2017, including over 2 million acre-feet into the river and around 222,000 acre-feet into the bay. It also notes that the City of Corpus Christi diverted around 1,500 acre-feet of water in 2017 and that over 180,000 acre-feet evaporated from reservoirs in the basin. The document emphasizes the importance of maintaining freshwater inflows for supplying nutrients, sediments, and balancing salinity in estuaries.

2. ROLE OF INSTREAM FLOWS
Overbank flow
Pulse flow
High base flow
Low baseflow/
subsistence

3. ROLE OF FRESHWATER INFLOWS
•Supply nutrients
•Supply sediments
•Maintain salinity balance
Photo courtesy Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept.©2004, Earl Nottingham

4. About 2,345,400 acre-feet of fresh water
flowed in the Colorado River past Bay City
toward Matagorda Bay in 2017.
City of Corpus Christi has a right
to divert 35,000 acre-feet, which
it began using in 2016. In 2017,
the city used 1,528 acre-feet.
In 2017, an estimated 182,315
acre-feet of water evaporated
from the six Highland Lakes.

5. A total of 222,196 acre-feet of
freshwater flowed in the Colorado
River past Bay City toward Matagorda
Bay
In 2011, an estimated 192,404 acre-feet
evaporated from the six Highland Lakes.

6. FROM ENVIRONMENTAL FLOWS RECOMMENDATION REPORT, THE COLORADO AND LAVACA BASIN AND BAY AREA
STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEE, AUGUST 2011, p. 119.

7. FROM ENVIRONMENTAL FLOWS RECOMMENDATION REPORT, THE COLORADO AND LAVACA BASIN AND BAY AREA
STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEE, AUGUST 2011, p. 119.

8. FROM ENVIRONMENTAL FLOWS RECOMMENDATION REPORT, THE COLORADO AND LAVACA BASIN AND BAY AREA
STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEE, AUGUST 2011, p. 119.
Draft 2019 WMP
95%
69%
55%
43%
38%

9. FROM ENVIRONMENTAL FLOWS RECOMMENDATION REPORT, THE COLORADO AND LAVACA BASIN AND BAY AREA
STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEE, AUGUST 2011, p. 119.
Draft 2019 WMP
95%
69%
55%
43%
38%
94%
2015
73%
61%
47%
39%

10. What can we do about this?
Push for strong flow protections in LCRA WMP revision process
For new water supply projects, minimize adverse impacts to flow and
advocate for use of portion of that supply to benefit bay and river
Improve water use efficiency to help slow the loss of river flow and bay inflow
Support restoration projects to keep marshes, reefs, and other key habitats as
healthy as possible
Where possible, support market solutions to purchase water rights that
can be converted to river or bay protection
Other creative ideas needed