Commissioner Pusley took to Facebook on Tuesday night to call for an emergency meeting with Corpus Christi City Council to vote for immediate start to desal.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A Nueces County commissioner is calling on Corpus Christi leaders to immediately move forward with the city’s stalled desalination project, saying the region cannot afford further delays as water concerns continue to grow and make headlines.
Nueces County Precinct 1 Commissioner Mike Pusley urged Mayor Paulette Guajardo on Tuesday night to call an emergency meeting of the Corpus Christi City Council with a single agenda item.
“I am asking Mayor Paulette Guajardo to call an immediate emergency meeting of the city council with one item to vote on and that is to immediately restart the Inner Harbor Desalination Project,” Pusley said.
Pusley said the city should move forward without additional studies or delays.
“No more delays, no more studies, just get it done,” he said. “Divert all funding available at this time toward completing this project as soon as possible.”
He said the issue affects not only Corpus Christi residents but also surrounding communities that rely on the city’s regional water system.
“As the governor said, it’s time to make a decision and the citizens of this city, and all the cities that depend on Corpus Christi for water are calling on the Corpus Christi City Council to make a decision,” Pusley said. “Get it done.”
The call comes the same day Gov. Greg Abbott criticized Corpus Christi leaders over the city’s handling of its water supply, warning the state could step in if local officials fail to act.
Speaking Tuesday at an event hosted by Americans for Prosperity during the Texas legislative session, Abbott said the state has already provided hundreds of millions of dollars to help the city address its water challenges.
“We provided them with $750 million — three-quarters of a billion dollars — in funding for them to address their water problem,” Abbott said. “You know what they did? They squandered it and then they changed their plan and then they were indecisive about what to do.”
Abbott argued the issue facing Corpus Christi is not a lack of water but a failure to act.
“Corpus Christi is a victim — not because of lack of water,” he said. “They’re a victim because of a lack of ability to make a decision.”
The governor also warned the state could intervene if the city does not move forward.
“We can only give them a little time more before the state of Texas has to take over and micromanage that city and run that city to make sure that every resident who goes to the water tap and turns it on, they’re going to have water.”
The comments also come hours after State Sen. Adam Hinojosa hosted a meeting Tuesday morning in Portland aimed at easing tensions over the proposed Evangeline Aquifer groundwater project.
Leaders from Corpus Christi attended the discussion, but officials from the city of Sinton — which has strongly opposed the project — did not.
Hinojosa said he plans to send the results of the meeting to Sinton leaders and continue pushing for dialogue.
Meanwhile, Corpus Christi officials have warned that declining reservoir levels and a continued dry forecast could eventually lead to water curtailment if additional supply projects are not brought online.
City leaders have been pursuing multiple options to expand the water supply, including groundwater development and desalination, but several projects have faced delays amid legal challenges and regional opposition.
Pusley said the time for debate has passed.
“Get it done,” he said.