Corpus Christi Bay System

The Corpus Christi Bay System is a shallow estuarine complex on the south Texas coast that includes Corpus Christi Bay, Nueces Bay, and connecting waters, separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Mustang and North Padre Islands with exchange occurring principally through Aransas Pass. It receives freshwater inflow from the Nueces River and lies in a semi-arid setting where evaporation can exceed precipitation, contributing to elevated salinity. The system supports commercial navigation through the Corpus Christi Ship Channel and Inner Harbor, along with fisheries, wildlife habitat, and recreation. It appears in City of Corpus Christi proceedings in connection with the Far Field Study, a bay-wide hydrodynamic and salinity modeling effort examining potential effects of a proposed Inner Harbor seawater desalination facility.