'Our bay is not for sale': Environmental coalition responds to draft desalination permit
Updated: 12:05 p.m. Thursday
A march coordinated by the Hillcrest Residents Association – an organization that has played a key role in pushing back on Inner Harbor desalination plans – will be held beginning at 4 p.m. Thursday.
Desalination opponents and supporters of the association will gather at the corner of Nueces Bay Boulevard and West Broadway Street, with participants ending the march at Brooks AME Worship Center, 2101 Port Ave., where a 5 p.m. press conference was planned.
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A coalition of environmental groups have responded to news of the city of Corpus Christi’s new draft permit for a proposed desalination plant.
It came by chant: “Our bay is not for sale.”
Gathering along the shores of the Corpus Christi Bay last week, Coastal Action Network leaders condemned the latest advancement for the project, which proposes to construct a desalination plant in the city’s Inner Harbor.
“We are not defeated, we are defiant,” said Isabel Araiza, For the Greater Good cofounder. “We are dedicated and we are determined to fight for our community and our way of life.”
Concerns voiced by Hillcrest neighborhood
The Inner Harbor location pursued for a desalination plant has been criticized by some who have said there is risk of environmental impacts, and also carries a threat to the nearby historically Black Hillcrest neighborhood.
The city is at a crossroads, said Armon Alex, cofounder of the Gulf of Mexico Youth Climate Summit – and the city council’s choices “will undoubtedly shape the environmental landscape for years to come.”
The proximity to Hillcrest “not only raises concerns of environmental degradation, but also highlights the inherent injustices faced by marginalized communities in the name of progress for industry,” he said.
The Hillcrest Residents Association, among other groups, filed a federal complaint against the city last year alleging violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, based on the proposed location for desalination operations.
Proponents say project necessary due to drought threat
The pursuit of desalination is necessary to combat the region’s vulnerability to drought, proponents have said, referencing the current drought and what may become Stage 2 drought in the near future.
Corpus Christi Water staff, in response to the news conference, wrote in a message to the Caller-Times that the Inner Harbor location was “chosen ahead of 21 other project sites because of its immediate proximity to the residents and larger community of Corpus Christi,” and would “provide the entire community with safe, reliable drinking water.”
“The plant will incorporate state of the art technology with aesthetically-pleasing buildings that will enhance the neighborhood,” staff wrote in the message to the Caller-Times, adding that neighborhood residents would be engaged on the facility’s design.
Critics claim most water will go to heavy industry, not residents
The environmental coalition on Wednesday also criticized how the water may be consumed – contending that its sole purpose is to support existing heavy industry and to be used as an asset to draw additional heavy industry into the area.
Better options for city action include investing in clean industries, as well as putting the money proposed for a desalination plant instead toward repairing aging water infrastructure, the coalition stated in a news release.
“Water saved by investing in modern infrastructure will provide for water needs well into the 21st century,” the groups wrote.
Army Corps of Engineers permit still pending
Desalination operations require two permits: a discharge permit and a water rights permit. And in the case of the Inner Harbor, it also requires a permit approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
A decision on the USACE permit is pending.
The state agency that oversees environmental permitting – the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality – approved a water rights permit for the proposed Inner Harbor location in October 2022.
The draft discharge permit was issued last week.
In the written response Thursday, representatives with Corpus Christi Water wrote that the staff had engaged experts “to ensure environmental responsibility and negligible impact on aquatic bio-habitat.”
Modeling took into account a number of reports by local researchers, such as Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s Harte Research Institute, as well as state environmental, wildlife and water agencies, city officials wrote in the message to the Caller-Times.
Draft permit likely available at public hearing
The draft permit is up for review and will likely also go to a public hearing held by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in the future, although details – should there be a meeting – haven’t been announced.
Coalition members urged residents to go to the meeting, once it is announced – numbers can mean being more likely to be heard, environmental advocates said.
If ultimately approved, the plant could potentially generate as much as 30 million gallons of water per day.
More: Corpus Christi presses ahead amid HUD civil rights probe into Northside desalination plans
More: Desalination efforts continue to move forward. Here's the latest permit issued
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Environmental groups respond to Corpus Christi's desalination permit
