New Design Contract to Improve Bay Water Quality
City of Corpus Christi
CORPUS CHRISTI (News Release) - Corpus Christi City Council authorized the award of a professional services contract to Lockwood, Andrews, & Newnam to provide design, bid, and construction phase services for the Bay Water Quality Improvements project that will identify and design solutions for the removal of trash and other floatable items in the storm water system before it is discharged in the Corpus Christi Bay, in the amount of $165,784.00. Funding for the project comes from the FY 2021 Storm Water Capital Funds.
The Corpus Christi Bay is a popular year-round tourist attraction. Visitors enjoy many features located along the bay such as the Seawall, Shoreline Boulevard, Water’s Edge Park, the Marina, and McGee Beach. The Corpus Christi Bay has developed into a major recreational area and it is imperative that it maintain its aesthetics and welcoming natural environment.
The City’s stormwater is discharged in the Corpus Christi Bay through a series of forty outfalls located in the area stretching from the Convention Center to Christus Spohn Shoreline Hospital along Shoreline and Ocean Drive (about half a mile long). Many of these outfalls have a history of depositing floatable items (cups, bottles, paper, bags) and trash into the bay. As a result, problems have developed into citizen complaints, environmental degradation, aesthetic issues, public health concerns, and have become a regulatory compliance concern such as not meeting federal and state surface water quality standards for recreation. Additionally, they cause issues that can impact the aquatic life and pollute the waters used for tourism and recreation. To address the issue inlet baskets are being used at curb inlets to stop debris from getting into the storm water system. Due to the high number of inlets, maintenance of the devices is time consuming and costly. This project will greatly reduce the number of locations to maintain.
This professional services contract will provide long- and short-term recommendations for installing catch basin devices, trash and debris interceptors, and other treatment devices for the stormwater systems in the different drainage basins in the downtown Corpus Christi area primarily along Shoreline Drive and partially along Ocean Drive. This includes providing 100% design plans for the different methods and related costs to catch floatable materials/items before they discharge into the bay and provide construction plans for the installation of the selected method to improve stormwater quality in the Corpus Christi Bay. This project will not include addressing other materials that enter the bay through these outfalls such as sand, oils, sediments, grass clippings, and others. This project will reduce the volume of waste material entering the Bay from the storm drainage system.
“Today is a significant step in the protection of the Corpus Christi Bay. Ensuring trash is picked up and items are removed from our stormwater system before they enter our bay is a critical step in its preservation. Safeguarding our Corpus Christi Bay is my priority,” said Mayor Paulette M. Guajardo.
