Corpus Christi weighs talks to buy desalinated water from private plant

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Corpus Christi City Council voted Tuesday to begin negotiations for drinking water from a privately owned desalination plant, after the city scrapped its own planned seawater desalination project, according to city officials. The vote was 7-1 as the city weighed options to head off what leaders have described as an impending water emergency amid a historic drought.

The council action comes as Corpus Christi’s two main reservoirs have dropped to 8.4% capacity, a condition city leaders said has raised fears that the city may have to declare a water emergency. City officials have said such a declaration would indicate the water system has about 180 days’ supply remaining.

City manager Peter Zanoni said desalination offers a drought-resistant, long-term way to supply drinking water to the roughly 500,000 people across seven counties who rely on the city’s water system. Council members discussed the proposal as part of a broader effort to secure water supplies beyond conservation measures.

Under the approach the city is considering, negotiations would cover purchasing drinking water that would be filtered from seawater or salty groundwater at the privately owned plant. The city said the desalination company Aquatech has an agreement with Corpus Christi Polymers, a plastic manufacturer, to sell drinking water from the facility.

In the plan presented to council, Aquatech agreed to finish building the plant, expand it, and connect it to the city’s distribution system. City officials said the plant has also secured state permits, and they pointed to the company’s timeline as a reason the city could move quickly without resuming the long-stalled effort to build its own desalination capacity.

The council vote reflected both support for moving ahead and skepticism about the deal terms and environmental implications. Council member Roland Barrera, who voted against beginning negotiations, said he was “really, really reluctant” and indicated support would depend on whether the city could reach a “good deal.”

Council member Kaylyn Paxson, who supported the measure, said “I don’t see any reason not to move forward with at least negotiating,” while also wishing the project “best speed and luck,” because the city is looking for water. Council member Everett Roy, also in favor, said he believed the city should “move cautiously” and avoid a repeat of being in “a position of desperation.”

City officials said the privately owned plant was around 90% complete as of October, citing reporting by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. The facility is expected to generate around 9 million gallons of water a day, with the city expecting it to be operational about a year after a contract is signed.

The city’s current step follows years of debate over building its own desalination plant. Officials said Corpus Christi council members spent years discussing a city-owned desalination project capable of producing 30 million gallons per day by 2028, but costs nearly doubled over time to more than $1.2 billion, and opponents raised concerns about environmental impacts, including the potential effects of highly salty discharge into Corpus Christi Bay.

Officials said the council decided in September to scrap the city-owned project and that an earlier attempt to buy the Corpus Christi Polymers desalination plant was rejected in October. Zanoni said he is looking forward to meeting with Aquatech to discuss next steps and described the city’s posture as “cautiously optimistic,” saying Aquatech will present its case for the city to analyze before returning to council.