Corpus Christi rejects private funding for Inner Harbor desal grant application

Corpus Christi rejects private funding for Inner Harbor desal grant applicationIn a narrow 5-4 vote, the city council turned down an unrestricted donation from an industry coalition intended to cover the costs of applying for a federal WaterSMART grant, citing ongoing controversy and the lack of an approved project.

Voices for Coastal Bend Energy offered approximately $60,000 to cover professional services and staff time for a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation grant application due August 26.

Opponents on the council argued it was inappropriate to accept funds to advance a controversial desalination project that has not yet been formally approved by the city.

City staff noted that a successful grant application would require the council to formally approve a project, which currently remains tabled until September.

In a separate action, the council approved a resolution to seek temporary relief from TCEQ environmental flow release requirements to help reservoirs recover.

The Corpus Christi City Council narrowly rejected an offer from a private industry coalition to fund a federal grant application for the highly debated Inner Harbor seawater desalination plant during its July 28 meeting. In a 5-4 vote, the council turned down an unrestricted donation from Voices for Coastal Bend Energy, a 501(c)(6) organization. The group offered approximately $60,000 to cover the consultant fees and staff time required to submit a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART grant application. The grant, which is due August 26, was viewed as a potential opportunity to secure up to $120 million in federal funding for the city's water infrastructure. However, the proposal faced steep opposition from several council members and residents who view the Inner Harbor project as environmentally detrimental and overly expensive. Opposing council members expressed discomfort with accepting funds from an organization whose individual donors remain anonymous, characterizing the donation as an attempt by industrial water users to force an unapproved project forward. Corpus Christi Water Chief Operating Officer Nick Winkleman informed the council that while the Bureau of Reclamation had approved the project's feasibility analysis, a complete grant application would ultimately require the council to formally approve the Inner Harbor project itself. The council had previously tabled approval of the facility until September 1, placing it past the grant's August 26 submission deadline. City Manager Peter Zanoni confirmed that while staff generally supports pursuing grant opportunities to offset ratepayer costs, they could not recommend the application without an approved project in place. The rejection of the grant funding highlights the ongoing political gridlock surrounding the city's desalination plans. The Inner Harbor project has faced intense pushback over potential impacts to marine life and marginalized neighborhoods, prompting calls from some council members to put the desalination facility to a public vote via a general obligation bond or charter amendment. In a separate water supply measure during the same meeting, the council approved a resolution supporting staff's pursuit of a temporary reprieve from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The city is seeking a 120-day suspension of its environmental flow pass-through requirements to the Nueces Bay, a move designed to help the city's drought-depleted reservoirs recover following recent beneficial rains.