Corpus Christi advances AquaTech desalination proposal amid severe reservoir depletion

Corpus Christi advances AquaTech desalination proposal amid severe reservoir depletionThe City Council has authorized staff to negotiate a water purchase agreement to repurpose the CC Polymers desalination plant, aiming to secure up to 14 million gallons per day as combined reservoir levels plummet to 8.3%.

City Council approved negotiations with AquaTech International to supply potable water from the existing CC Polymers desalination facility.

AquaTech proposes delivering 9.4 MGD within 12 months of a contract, scaling up to 14 MGD in subsequent phases.

The city will incur no upfront capital costs, instead purchasing the treated water at an estimated preliminary rate of $7.50 per 1,000 gallons.

The urgency is underscored by extreme drought conditions, with the city's combined surface water reservoirs dropping to just 8.3% capacity.

Driven by critically low surface water supplies, the Corpus Christi City Council voted on March 24, 2026, to authorize staff to negotiate a water sale agreement with Pittsburgh-based AquaTech International. The proposed deal centers on repurposing and expanding the existing seawater desalination facility at the CC Polymers plant to provide the city with a much-needed potable water source. Devay Sharma, CEO of AquaTech International, told the council that his company has fully audited the existing 9.4 million gallon per day (MGD) facility, which currently operates under an industrial discharge permit. AquaTech proposed a phased approach: bringing the initial 9.4 MGD online within approximately one year of signing a contract, followed by an expansion to 12.5 MGD, and eventually 14 MGD to match the capacity of an existing 24-inch city conveyance line running under the ship channel. Sharma noted the site could potentially scale up to 22 or 25 MGD depending on future discussions. Under the proposed structure, AquaTech will bear the capital risk and investment to retrofit the plant and secure necessary Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) permit amendments for potable water treatment. The city would only pay for delivered water. Preliminary pricing was cited at approximately $7.50 per 1,000 gallons, which would include the infrastructure required to provide potable water, though this rate will be subject to negotiation and future inflation escalators. The proposal generated debate among council members. Councilman Roland Barrera expressed skepticism, citing past challenges with the CC Polymers site and warning against overly speculative solutions driven by political pressure. Other members questioned the permitting timeline and the plant's lack of a discharge diffuser to manage salinity levels. However, City Manager Peter Zanoni and Chief Operating Officer of Corpus Christi Water Nick Winkleman recommended moving forward with negotiations, emphasizing that the city faces no financial risk until water is produced. The push for alternative water sources comes as Corpus Christi faces an escalating water crisis. During a water supply update at the same meeting, Winkleman reported that the city's surface water supplies are severely depleted. Lake Corpus Christi has fallen to 9.3% capacity and Choke Canyon Reservoir to 7.9%, leaving the combined system at just 8.3%. In response, the city has rapidly accelerated its groundwater pumping, drawing over 8 MGD from its eastern and western Nueces well fields, with plans to ramp up to 36 MGD across multiple well sites by the end of May. City staff expect to negotiate the contract with AquaTech over the next 90 days before bringing a final agreement back to the council for approval.