Corpus Christi’s Bayfront is a big tourist draw, but it’s not getting a very glowing review from the General Land Office.
Their Texas Beach Watch website reports medium levels of fecal bacteria in four locations which include the Corpus Christi Marina, McGee Beach, Poenisch Park, and University Beach.
So, how could this affect your spring break vacation?
Dr. Larry McKinney at the Harte Research Institute said these findings are not out of the ordinary.
“You see some of this particularly out in the bay itself where the outfalls come for sewage and runoff from the streets and that type of thing,” McKinney said, “But it will quickly clear up when the rain stops.”
Marine experts said locals and out-of-towners packing up and heading out to the beach for the holiday break this week shouldn’t worry.
“Particularly for our gulf beaches where most of them go, those beaches are seldom bothered because they have so much water out there,” McKinney said.
He mentioned the popular spots that typically draw in large crowds and said those areas are in the clear.
“Along Padre Island National Seashore, Whitecap Beach, Mustang Island, and some of the beaches along the city there, McGee and others,” McKinney said. “Those are the most common places and those beaches right now are fine. They’re safe.”
The interactive map of current water samplings can be found here: https://cgis.glo.texas.gov/Beachwatch/
