CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — Water is running low in South Texas, and some city leaders are questioning a proposed groundwater desalination deal.
The South Texas Water Authority asked Corpus Christi to join its project with Seven Seas Water Group, potentially expanding from 3 to 30 million gallons of water per day. But with redacted documents and missing studies, council members are asking: What are we really signing up for?
In June, Councilmembers Carolyn Vaughn, Eric Cantu and Sylvia Campos brought the South Texas Water Authority's groundwater proposal to the City Council. The promise: A new water source without upfront taxpayer costs.
"I think that one with the South Texas Water Authority and Seven Seas is probably one of the best ones right now because of the fact that the taxpayer pays no money up front," said District 3 Councilmember Eric Cantu.
But what started as enthusiasm for some has turned into concern for others. The contract is so heavily redacted that city staff had to sign non-disclosure agreements just to see terms.
"I really thought that they had all their ducks in a row. I really did. I was sold just like everybody else," said District 2 Councilmember Sylvia Campos. "Well, come to find out that that is not true."
Missing Studies and Environmental Concerns
The deal bypassed competitive bidding. Seven Seas was selected as a sole-source contractor. And critical studies? They haven't been done.
"We don't know what kind of environmental impact it has. We've been told that it's 28 million gallons a day," said Drew Molly, Chief Operating Officer of Corpus Christi Water. "There has to be some well thought out plans and some engineering analysis to make that happen successfully."
District 5 Councilmember Gil Hernandez offered additional perspective on the project's scale and technical aspects. When asked about the discharge from a potential 30 million gallon per day facility, Hernandez explained the math: "If you did 30, well, we're talking 30 because 2 million goes to Kingsville, so it would be 10 million gallons a day of discharge."
Hernandez noted that while injection wells are more expensive than surface discharge, they remain an option.
"There is some more expense associated with it. So it's not the preferred option, but if the science says it's the better option, then that's what they go with," Hernandez added.
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Baffin Bay Controversy
Discussions about discharging waste into Baffin Bay sparked outrage from the fishing community.
"We had an overwhelming backlash from the fishing community," Campos said. "We had over 75 people say...not in Baffin Bay."
Now STWA has voted to take Baffin Bay off the table, and Seven Seas Water Group says deep well injection may be an option. However, a recording between Seven Seas Water Group representatives obtained by 6 Investigates reveals concerns.
"There are challenges with that. In West Texas, they've been doing that for a long time. They're having seismic issues. Also, it's highly energy intensive to force water down," a Seven Seas Water Group representative said in the recording.
The company explained local geology makes it even more difficult.
"Where we're at here there's not karst...you're pumping it into sand, so there's real limitations on how much volume you can get down there versus the power it costs," a Seven Seas Water Group representative said in the recording.
Seven Seas Water Group admits it's not the most practical solution.
"Not to say it's not an option, but it is not the most economical or efficient way," a Seven Seas Water Group representative said in the recording.
This means higher costs that would be passed on to water users.
Hernandez acknowledged potential concerns about injection wells.
"I guess you could say that. I mean, you know, anytime you have fracking or any kind of that kind of stuff, you could create something, but I don't know the details of that. I'm not an expert in that," Hernandez said.
Comparing to Existing Projects
When asked about Seven Seas' capability to deliver such a large project, Hernandez pointed to their experience with the Alice facility but noted the scale difference. He explained that desalination plants work in "trains" that can be replicated.
"Alice may have 1 or 2 trains. This one will have multiple trains, but the trains are the same, right? So it's not like it's gonna be completely different configuration," Hernandez added.
However, he acknowledged the significant jump in scale, with Alice operating at 2.7 million gallons per day compared to the proposed 30 million gallons for Corpus Christi.
Transparency Concerns
The heavily redacted contract has raised red flags among some council members. When asked about transparency, Hernandez said, "I don't have any problem with providing all the information...anything that we sign in contract will be fully available to anybody to review."
However, he deferred questions about the redactions to STWA, which did not respond to requests for comment from KRIS 6 News.
"That's gonna have to be something you talked with South Texas Water Authority," Hernandez said.
Councilwoman Carolyn Vaughn, who initially championed the project, said it may be months before the city brings back a potential agreement.
"They haven't been able to answer the questions, so that's why you get an MOU...They were just not ready," Vaughn mentioned.
Cost Comparisons
Hernandez provided detailed cost comparisons, noting that current treated water costs for the city are around $3.05-$3.06 per 1000 gallons. The proposed Seven Seas water would likely cost between $5-$6 per 1000 gallons, including energy costs.
"They put kind of a top limit on it being $5.50 per 1000 gallons. I think it'll be less than that," Hernandez said, adding that energy costs could add another $1.50 per 1000 gallons based on the Alice plant's operations.
But, an audio recording obtained by KRIS 6 News through a Texas Public Information Request reveals that the cost of this water is still unknown.
An analysis of water projects, presented to the City Council in July reveals the project could cost over $3 billion over 30 years.
Moving Forward
Council members tell 6 Investigates they are committed to transparency before any commitment. South Texas Water Authority already has a contract for 3 million gallons per day, but the expansion to serve Corpus Christi remains in limbo.
Hernandez emphasized the need for scientific evaluation.
"Let Harte Research Institute look at it. Let Texas Marine Science Institute look at it, have everybody give their input into it and whatever the results are, then you go forward with that," Hernandez said. "We may not be able to do 30 million gallons a day. Maybe it's 20 million, but that's OK too. We'll take whatever water we can get."
