CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — Corpus Christi City Council approved initial funding of $11.4 million from the Texas Water Development Board for additional due diligence and federal permitting of a seawater desalination plant. This initial funding is a part of the $222 million from the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) loan that City Council approved in April 2020.

Since 2013, area stakeholders have worked together to find a drought resilient water supply solution for the Coastal Bend. As the regional water supplier for over 500,000 customers from hospitality to industrial industries, the city has focused on long-term planning to meet the area’s increasing water supply needs.

A seawater desalination plant will produce a safe and sustainable water supply for the entire region. The city identified seawater desalination as a responsible, resilient, and cost-effective solution for providing water to the Coastal Bend.

The city’s current water rate structure includes five cents per 1,000 gallons of water consumed deposited in a protected fund for the development of a long-term water supply solution. In 2018, the Drought Surcharge Exemption fee was established. This fee gave large volume customers the opportunity to pay 25 cents per 1,000 gallons of water used to fund a drought-resilient water supply.