CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas —
The Corpus Christi City Council is set to vote Tuesday on an $78.6 million motion that would advance the Inner Harbor Desalination Project to 60% of design.
The vote was originally scheduled for June 2 but was tabled after a 15-hour meeting due to financial and environmental concerns surrounding the project.
Two former city councilmembers — one who supports the project and one who opposes it — shared their perspectives ahead of Tuesday's vote.
The case for Inner Harbor Desalination
David Loeb, a former city councilmember who supports the project, points to its environmental permitting as a key advantage.
"It has all its environmental permitting which means it actually has science behind it that shows it won't damage the environment," Loeb said.
Loeb also noted that, unlike private desalination options, the Inner Harbor project could qualify for state and federal financial assistance.
"Additionally it's a publicly owned facility so it does qualify for state and federal financial assistance," Loeb said.
He also argued that delivering a reliable water supply is a core responsibility of the council.
"City Council runs the water department which provides the water supply for the entire region. It's your job to deliver water to the community," Loeb said.
The case against Inner Harbor Desalination
Jim Klein, a former city councilmember who opposes the project, said his first concern is the location.
The Inner Harbor Desalination Plant would be built near the Hillcrest community, a historically Black neighborhood in Corpus Christi.
"It's really not in Inner Harbor it's in the Hillcrest neighborhood. If you want desal build it in your neighborhood," Klein said.
Klein also raised environmental concerns, pointing to what he described as an incomplete Far Field Model study meant to assess the project's potential effects on nearby bays.
"Will this harm environmental conditions in Corpus Christi Bay? That Far Field Model study is supposed to determine that. Well that was incomplete is what we determined back in May. That's what the scientists themselves say," Klein said.
His third concern is cost. The project's first phase is estimated at close to $1 billion.
"The science behind desalination is sound. But you have to keep in mind it's the most expensive way to make water. You should try everything else before you do that. And I don't think we've exhausted all those other concerns yet," Klein said.
The Inner Harbor Desalination Project vote is on the agenda for Tuesday's Corpus Christi City Council meeting.
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