The city of Corpus Christi and the Port of Corpus Christi have disagreed on which locations are best for a marine desalination plant since at least 2018. Since then, the entities have worked separately.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times
Chase Rogers - Corpus Christi Caller Times
March 21, 2023

After years of pursuing their marine desalination projects separately, the city of Corpus Christi and the Port of Corpus Christi will reconvene and reconsider whether to collaborate on establishing the costly water treatment facilities. 

The City Council and the port commission, in separate meetings on Tuesday, directed their respective staffs to begin negotiations over the terms of working together, with the City Council asking for an update in the coming weeks. 

Though city and port leaders have largely supported desalination as an alternative to bolster the region’s water supply, disagreements on which locations near Corpus Christi Bay are best suited and which entity would operate the facilities have soured relations. 

The votes in favor of cooperation came after some council members, including Mayor Paulette Guajardo, raised concerns about how other council members developed a draft agreement outlining how the two entities could work together.

Following a heated discussion about how the draft came about, the City Council voted 7-2 in favor of a motion by At-Large Councilman Mike Pusley, who collaborated with port commissioners alongside Dist. 4 Councilman Dan Suckley and Dist. 5 Councilman Gil Hernandez. 

The motion directs City Manager Peter Zanoni to “work out a framework” on how the port can assist the city in the “pursuit of desalination and other water resources for the long-term growth” of the city and the region. Zanoni will provide an update on city-port discussions during either the City Council’s April 18 or April 25 meeting.

Suckley, Hernandez and Pusley said the intent of their efforts was to reestablish communications between the city and port on desalination, saying collaboration betters the chances of obtaining state funding to establish the facilities.  

Relations between the city and port broke down publicly last year when council members called on the port to rescind a $495 million loan application for its Harbor Island site, leading to a number of contentious meetings and port commissioner appointments.  

Two council members — At-large Councilman Jim Klein and Dist. 2 Councilwoman Sylvia Campos — voted against Pusley’s motion, saying, in part, the city should focus on other alternative sources of water over desalination. They worry the proposals are overly expensive and the proposed plant's salty discharge, known as brine, could harm the area's habitat.

Port commission vote 

Earlier in the afternoon, the port commission voted 5-1 in favor of directing port Chairman Charles W. Zahn Jr. and port CEO Sean Strawbridge to engage the city on a path forward. 

“I think this is the first time that I’ve seen that we have an absolute opportunity to make a difference on this issue,” Zahn said during the meeting. “This issue is so important not only to the port and city, but to the Coastal Bend and the entire state.” 

Commissioner Wes Hoskins, of San Patricio County, left the meeting before the vote for a previous engagement. 

Commissioner Diane Gonzalez, who was appointed to the role by the Nueces County Commissioners Court earlier this year, voted against the measure, echoing concerns raised by Guajardo and other council members.  

Gonzalez also cited the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s objections to how TCEQ issued a wastewater discharge permit to the port for its Harbor Island site last fall. As a result of TECQ erroneously classifying the proposal, the federal regulator said it considered the port’s permit a “draft permit.” TCEQ has said the permit was issued appropriately.

Neither the city nor the port possesses the necessary permitting to operate a marine desalination facility. Both the city’s and port’s primary sites — Inner Harbor and Harbor Island, respectively — face legal and administrative hurdles. 

Staff reporter Kirsten Crow contributed to reporting for this article.