A top executive walked away moments after the board cleared the agency’s director in an internal investigation.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Harbor Island desalination project moved a major step closer to reality after the Nueces River Authority selected an international company to help build the massive facility.
But while board members approved the partnership and celebrated the future of water security for the Coastal Bend, the meeting quickly spiraled into controversy involving an internal investigation and the resignation of one of the agency’s top executives.
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The Nueces River Authority Board selected IDE Technologies as its partner for the proposed 100 million gallon per day Harbor Island desalination plant. The company, based in Israel, was also the top-ranked choice recommended by NRA Executive Director John Byrum.
“We deeply admire the vision that the board has come up with to go forward, and we are ready to get started today,” said Mark Ellison with IDE Technologies. “We are ready to go to work.”
Board members entered executive session before making the decision between the two finalist companies competing for the contract.
Byrum praised IDE’s global experience and called the company a proven leader in desalination.
“IDE ranked number one in the evaluation by the team,” Byrum said. “They produce over 1.5 billion gallons a day of drinking water and have done so for 60 years.”
But the biggest drama unfolding at the meeting centered around an investigation involving Byrum himself.
The board discussed allegations raised by NRA Chief Operating Officer Travis Pruski, who accused Byrum of being misleading about how many cities and communities had formally committed to participate in the desalination project.
After reviewing the findings, board chairman Eric Burnett said investigators found no evidence of intentional misconduct.
“This investigation did not reveal facts or evidence to show intentional wrongdoing by Mr. Byrum or anyone else associated with the NRA,” Burnett told the board.
Then came the biggest surprise.
Moments after the investigation discussion wrapped up, Pruski took the podium and announced he was resigning from the organization.
“I can’t participate in this culture any longer,” Pruski said. “I can no longer be part of this organization.”
The emotional resignation stunned many in attendance and at least temporarily shifted the focus of the meeting away from the desalination vote itself.
Despite the internal turmoil, Byrum said the timeline for the Harbor Island project remains unchanged. The plant is still expected to begin producing water by December 2029.