TCEQ hears from opponents and supporters of Corpus Christi desalination plan

People in Corpus Christi could be the first in Texas to drink treated seawater.

Water scarcity in the state is a growing crisis, and ocean desalination is being touted as a solution.

But community activists are pointing out there are serious downsides to ocean desalination.

Community Activists Protest Ocean Desalination Project in Corpus Christi

1. Chanting “save our bay!” while carrying signs that read “No Desal,” “Protect the Bay,” and “No more Corporate Welfare,” at least 200 community members marched Thursday night into the Corpus Christi’s American Bank Center.

2. They wanted to send a loud and clear message to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that they oppose the city’s ocean desalination project.

TCEQ Hearing for Inner Harbor Desalination Plant

The TCEQ hearing was held to gather community feedback for a discharge permit for the Inner Harbor desalination plant. It would generate as much as 30 million gallons of clean water a day.

Concerns about Salty Brine Discharge

But it would also dump 30 million gallons a day of extremely salty brine into the Inner Harbor Ship Channel in Corpus Christi Bay.

The dense hyper saline discharge could sink to the bottom of the closed bay and create an ecological dead zone.

Alternative Solutions Proposed

• Resident Leo Dalbeck wanted to know why the brine can’t be piped farther out into the open Gulf of Mexico.

• Jason Cocklin, the project’s lead consultant, said that it’s a matter of cost. “The balance that we had to strike in selecting the location was making sure that it was environmentally sustainable, balancing that with reliable and cost effective,” he explained.

Cost and Environmental Concerns

Ocean desalination is considered to be a very expensive water source due to the high energy demands and the filtering process.

Impact on Water Rates and Industrial Demand

The Inner Harbor desalination project is expected to cost just under $1 billion. Much of that will be passed along to residents in the form of higher water rates.

But the head of the Corpus Christi Water utility, Drew Molly, said desal is needed because of the drought and growing water demands.

Public Opposition and Support

• Activists point out that industries use more than half of the city’s water, and more water demanding industries are coming to the area.

• Opponents claim the need for desalination is being driven by this industrial demand.

• Several people were told to leave the public hearing. In all, about 70 people spoke out against desalination.

• About 30 attendees, including Bob Landeg, took to the mic to express support. He said Corpus Christi needs these jobs, and the vocal opposition didn’t represent the city.

Environmental Impact Study and Civil Rights Concerns

Many commenters pointed out that the permit should be rejected because there has been no full environmental impact study. They also said there was inaccurate and missing information in the TCEQ application.

Others called attention to the location of the desalination plant, which is in the historic Black Hillcrest neighborhood. They said this is a civil rights violation and is the subject of a lawsuit.

Future Construction Plans

City officials said that once final TCEQ approval is secured, construction could begin as early as 2026.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article:

1. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
2. SDG 13: Climate Action
3. SDG 15: Life on Land

Specific targets under those SDGs based on the article’s content:

• SDG 6.4: By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity.
• SDG 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
• SDG 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.

Indicators mentioned or implied in the article:

• Water scarcity in Texas is highlighted as a growing crisis, indicating the need for measuring progress towards SDG 6.4.
• The potential ecological impact of the dense hyper saline discharge from the desalination plant implies the need for monitoring indicators related to SDG 15.1.
• The mention of climate-related hazards and natural disasters suggests the importance of measuring indicators related to SDG 13.1.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Fuente: tpr.org

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