City explores deal with San Antonio’s CPS Energy to turn a power plant into a water life.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Corpus Christi city leaders just made one of the biggest water investments in years a move they say is critical to keeping up with growth and guarding against drought.

RELATED: Facing historic drought, City Council approves $171M in new water projects

On Tuesday, the City Council voted to spend $169 million to buy groundwater rights from the Evangeline Laguna Group out of Sinton.

That big price tag has some residents asking where the money will come from.

“We built in funds in the rate for this year and next year. Similarly, we build in additional debt service payments in the monthly rate for all of our water customers.”
Peter Zanoni, City Manager

Another $200 million will be needed to drill the wells and build pumping stations to bring that water into Corpus Christi.

This marks the first major water project approved since the city scrapped its Inner Harbor desalination proposal, which was years in the making.

“We had to have an immediate source of water. They just focused on desal, and we couldn’t do that. We had to have an immediate source right now and that’s what we did yesterday.”
Carolyn Vaughn, City Councilwoman

The council also voted to pay a $2.7 million reservation fee to the Nueces River Authority for its planned 100-million-gallon-a-day desalination plant on Harbor Island. That fee secures a share of the plant’s future water supply once construction begins.

“It’ll be a one-time payment probably going out pretty soon to the River Authority. And we have that money? We have that money as well. That money comes from savings and other capital projects.”
Peter Zanoni, City Manager

And city leaders aren’t stopping there. Vaughn said Corpus Christi is already looking at another possible desalination project, this one at the Barney Davis Power Plant in Flour Bluff, potentially in partnership with CPS Energy out of San Antonio.

“We could partner with CPS Energy out of San Antonio. I don’t want the city to be responsible for taking care of any of it. I want us to be able to purchase water and sell it.”
Carolyn Vaughn, City Councilwoman

Zanoni said there’s interest from CPS in working with the city on that idea.

“There is some interest, as there always has been, from CPS to develop a business proposal where the city and CPS could work together to potentially have a plant there, a desal facility there,” Zanoni said.

City officials say the combination of groundwater, desalination, and conservation will form a long-term strategy to protect Corpus Christi’s future water supply.