US News
Corpus Christi City Council rejects $979 million desalination plant project
The decision leaves the Texas coastal city searching for long-term water sources as projections warn of a potential water emergency by 2028.
The short version
- The Corpus Christi City Council voted 5-3 against building a nearly $1 billion municipal desalination facility.
- Opponents argued the facility's location in the historically Black neighborhood of Hillcrest, financial costs, and bay discharge presented severe risks, while proponents warned of looming regional water shortages.
- Projections indicate the city could face a water emergency by fall 2028 despite recent rains raising reservoir levels.
- The city's water strategy now turns toward November municipal elections and alternative proposals, such as the regional Harbor Island Desalination Project.
Key facts
- The Corpus Christi City Council voted 5-3 to reject a proposed desalination plant that carried a preliminary maximum price tag of $978.8 million.[Associated Press]
- The planned facility was 60% designed and fully permitted to produce 30 million gallons of drinking water per day starting in 2030, with future expansion potential to 80 million gallons daily.[Associated Press]
- Texas state agencies had previously provided more than $224 million in loans and committed over half a billion dollars in additional financing for the project.[Associated Press]
- Recent rains raised area reservoir capacity from 15% to 48%, though city projections show a water emergency could occur by fall 2028.[Associated Press]
- Mayor Paulette Guajardo did not vote due to a 30-day suspension related to perjury accusations stemming from an impeachment trial over a hotel tax incentive deal.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- Whether the city will replace the project by securing water from the alternative Harbor Island Desalination Project, which requires one more permit before construction can begin.[Associated Press]
- Whether Texas state officials will intervene in local water management decisions following past statements suggesting potential state oversight.[Associated Press]