Corpus Christi City Council members have again voted against awarding a design-build contract for the Inner Harbor desalination plant, continuing a year-long division among council members on the project.
The proposed desalination plant seeks to add to the city’s water supply. Because of rainfall experienced in the area during the summer, the board was able to push back the estimated timeline of declaring a Level 1 Water Emergency by a year. The city was also able to move to Stage 1 water restrictions in late August, a first since March 2024.
During the Tuesday meeting, 54 people signed up to speak during the public comment period, according to Kiii News.
Public comments against the proposal included concerns over the project’s closeness to the town of Hillcrest, criticism that the project is a “scam” and not technically or fiscally sound, as well as environmental concerns.
Ardurra, the company responsible for designing the project, presented several possible changes to address environmental concerns.
Some of the proposed changes include real time monitoring of the bay’s salinity levels and a pipeline that would be built during the project’s second phase to discharge brine into the gulf, allowing the plant to potentially produce more water.
Despite these changes, the council rejected the proposal in a 5-3 vote, with council members Carolyn Vaughn, Eric Cantu, Gil Hernandez, Kaylynn Paxson, and Sylvia Campos voting against. Councilmembers Everett Roy, Mark Scott, and Roland Barrera were in favor.
The council previously postponed the vote for the proposed plant during its June meeting, following a lengthy discussion on the environmental impacts.
Gov. Greg Abbott has criticized the city council for delaying the desalination plant project, despite receiving $800 million from the state to fund water projects.
“I think it’s safe to assume the state is watching, and I think it’s safe to assume the federal government is watching,” Councilmember Scott said. “And so I think any delay is going to get a negative reaction from them.”
The board was also briefed by John Byrum, executive director of the Nueces River Authority, on a different proposed desalination plant known as the “Harbor Island Desalination Project.”
