Portland explores new water sources as Coastal Bend faces potential curtailment

Portland officials are exploring desalination and new water sources as growth and looming curtailment raise concerns across the Coastal Bend.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As water concerns grow across the Coastal Bend, Portland leaders are exploring new supply options to keep pace with rapid population growth and the threat of future shortages.

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City Manager Randy Wright said the city is facing both an environmental and economic challenge as regional water supplies tighten.

“We’re facing a real crisis — not only a lack of water, but a potential economic crisis not only for Portland but for the entire region,” Wright said. “We want to make sure that we have a diversified water source, that we’re not relying on one single source.”

Portland currently receives its water from the San Patricio Municipal Water District, which purchases water from the city of Corpus Christi. With the possibility of water curtailment looming across the region, Wright said the city is now looking to expand its supply options.

“Our plan is to create some additional sources that could include not only the city of Corpus Christi, but also the Harbor Island project being developed by the Nueces River Authority,” Wright said. “We’re also looking at brackish wells that we would run through an RO plant, or basically inland desalination.”

City leaders are also examining existing models in the region. Portland City Council members are scheduled to tour a $15 million desalination plant in Alice, which is already operational and has helped that city avoid the curtailment concerns facing others.

Wright said that kind of stability is critical for Portland, which experienced 35% population growth between 2010 and 2020.

“The economy here in Portland and the areas around us — commercial, retail, industrial — are all part of what makes this region attractive,” he said. “We’ve got to have that water to continue to grow.”

While the timeline for potential curtailment remains uncertain, Wright said the urgency is clear as water costs continue to rise.

“The cost of water is going up, and I think everyone understands that,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is make sure at this point, because we’re in a critical shortage, that we have water — because if you have no water, then it’s priceless.”

Wright told city council members he expects curtailment could begin sometime this year, with future water rates dependent on decisions by Corpus Christi officials.