ENVIRONMENT

Here in the Coastal Bend, we have a healthy and sustainable environment and a good quality of life.

We CAN grow for the future and protect what’s ours.

Air Quality  

The Coastal Bend Air Quality Partnership, established in 1995, tracks the region’s air quality levels at five different locations in the Coastal Bend. Over the past 20 years, the Corpus Christi Urban Airshed has maintained the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Ozone, the national standard established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for healthy air quality.

All existing and new large industrial projects are held to these standards. These air quality standards are also adopted into requirements for eligibility for local tax incentives for new companies moving into the Coastal Bend.

Ozone Averaging and Trending 

For our air to comply with ozone standards, our air’s rolling 3-year average for ozone measurements by area monitors must not exceed 70 parts per billion (ppb). This means that in 1 billion units of air, there must not be more that 70 units of ozone within that 1 billion units of air.
Corpus Christi Urban Airshed - 3-Year Rolling Average for Ozone:

For more in-depth air quality analysis, visit: https://cbairquality.org/air-quality-data/

Ecosystem

The Texas Coast Ecosystem Health Report Card series was developed by the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi in partnership with Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program, Mission Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve, The University of Texas Marine Science Institute, and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Integration and Application Network.

In total, 27 different datasets were evaluated to determine “scores” for each of 13 relevant indicators of coastal ecosystem health for both the Texas Coast as a whole, as well as for individual bays.

The Coastal Bend bays are part of the National Estuary Program established by the Environmental Protection Agency to protect estuaries of national significance. They include Corpus Christi and Nueces Bays, the Upper Laguna Madre with Baffin Bay, and the Mission-Aransas Estuary, which includes Aransas, Copano, St. Charles, Mesquite, and Redfish Bays. Together, the Coastal Bend bay systems support vibrant communities of people and wildlife. To read the full report, visit: www.texascoastreportcard.org

Water Quality

The 2023 Texas Coastal Bend Ecosystem Health Report Card provided the following findings regarding water quality in the Coastal Bend. These results are consistent with findings of the entire Texas Coast.

  1. Balanced levels of nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, support life in our bays. Nutrient conditions in the Coastal Bend are generally good. One notable exception is Baffin Bay, where too many nutrients from surface runoff have upset the balance of the ecosystem.

  2. The amount and timing of freshwater inflow to estuaries helps regulate salinity and nutrient supply. Fewer high flow events and more frequent low flows are occurring in the Coastal Bend region than in the past, which increases salinity and negatively affects sensitive species.

  3. The Texas Beach Watch program measures harmful bacteria in the water at recreational beaches to protect human health. In 2021, elevated bacteria levels triggered periodic swim advisories at several beaches around Corpus Christi Bay.

    For more in-depth analyses, visit: www.texascoastreportcard.org/texas-coastal-bend