CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — After hours of public testimony, heated debate and several arrests in the audience, the Corpus Christi City Council on Wednesday voted against advancing what would have been the city’s most expensive infrastructure project to date: a $1.2 billion desalination plant at the Inner Harbor.
Key Amendment Fails
The pivotal decision came with the rejection of Amendment 5, which would have allowed contractor Kiewit to move forward with design plans to 60% completion. The amendment also called for the company to return with a guaranteed maximum price by March 2026.
By voting down the amendment, the council effectively halted years of planning and left the city on the hook for $122 million in debt service over the next decade—without a desalination plant to show for it.
Political Pressure and a Swing Vote
Some council members had signaled their positions ahead of the vote. Councilwoman Sylvia Campos opposed the project due to cost concerns. Councilman Eric Cantu called the proposal a “political pressure point,” while Councilman Gil Hernandez said the price needed to be “dramatically lower.”
Attention centered on Councilwoman Carolyn Vaughn, who revealed she received a phone call from the governor’s chief of staff just days after she and Mayor Paulette Guajardo traveled to Austin to advocate for the project. Vaughn said she was told to “act like a leader” and vote in favor—or risk Corpus Christi losing out on future state funding.
Vaughn ultimately voted against the amendment.
Tensions Run High
The meeting extended late into the night, with more than 100 residents signed up to speak. Emotions ran high, and police made multiple arrests, including that of longtime environmental advocate Dr. Isabel Araiza with the group For the Greater Good. Araiza was initially booked on a disorderly conduct charge, which was later dropped.
“This was a huge waste of community resources and a gross attempt to silence the community that wants and demands better from public officials,” Araiza said.
Some council members expressed frustration that Kiewit, the contractor under scrutiny, did not send a representative to the meeting to answer questions.
Some staff floated the idea of changing vendor, but city staff warned that could delay the project by at least a year, require repayment of $14 million already spent, and may still result in a similar final cost.
Looking Ahead
Following the vote, the council approved a separate motion directing city staff to ask the Texas Water Development Board for permission to reallocate SWIFT funding—originally earmarked for the desalination project—toward other water supply initiatives.
