Choke Canyon Reservoir (Nueces River Basin)
Choke Canyon Dam is located approximately 4 miles west of Three Rivers in Live Oak County, on the Frio River, a major tributary of the Nueces River. The reservoir, extending in both Live Oak and McMullen counties, was built by the Bureau of Reclamation, and is owned and operated by the City of Corpus Christi and the Nueces River Authority for municipal water supply and recreational purposes. Development of the Nueces River Project began with the opening of a construction office in Three Rivers, Texas on May 16, 1976. Bids for construction of the dam were opened on May 11, 1978.
A contract was awarded to Holloway Construction Company on August 10, 1978. Construction began on October 13, 1978 and the project was considered complete by May 11, 1982 and the official dedication ceremony was held on June 8, 1982. The dam is an earthfill embankment of 18,500 feet long with a maximum height of 116 feet. According to TWDB 1993 survey, Choke Canyon Reservoir has a storage capacity of approximately 695,271 acre-feet encompassing a surface area of 25,989 acres at top of the conservation pool of elevation 220.5 feet above mean sea level. The drainage area above the dam is approximately 4,667 square miles.