CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — The planned April 28 Corpus Christi City Council vote on the Inner Harbor desalination contract may be in jeopardy after City Manager Peter Zanoni disclosed during Tuesday night's council meeting that a personnel change at Spheros Environmental — the firm hired to conduct the far-field environmental study — has put the project's timeline at risk.
During the meeting, Zanoni told council members the city would be communicating publicly about a potential delay.
"There may be a slight delay now on getting the far-field study done because of a change at Spheros, the company that we hired to do the work," Zanoni said. "They've asked for up to another 30 days."
A separate text message obtained by KRIS 6 News, sent to committee members, confirmed that the project leader at Spheros Environmental is no longer with the company. That message also confirmed that Wednesday's scheduled far-field model committee meeting was canceled as a result, though the next scheduled committee meeting — set for April 23 — remains on the calendar.
A second text message from Zanoni to the Mayor and City Council stated: "The city is meeting with our far field modeler now (Spheros Environmental). The firm has a strong plan to continue their work. The delivery of their far-field study would now be at the end of May, instead of the end of April. We will send you a memo by end of day with more information."
The far-field study is central to the council's decision on whether to proceed with the proposed $979 million desalination plant. The study examines the potential environmental impact of the plant's brine discharge on the entire bay — not just the area within 400 feet of the discharge site.
The council had been set to vote on the Inner Harbor desalination project on April 28.
We have asked the city the following questions and are awaiting a response:
- Is the departure of the Spheros project leader the personnel change Zanoni referenced at Tuesday's council meeting?
- Is the April 28 vote on the Inner Harbor desalination contract being postponed as a result?
- If postponed, what is the new target date?
- Does the city have a contingency plan if Spheros cannot complete the far-field study on the revised timeline?
This story will be updated as responses are received.
