A $108 million project aimed at supplying high-volume industrial water users with effluent water is set to begin construction this week in the Coastal Bend, according to state business filings.
Phase 2 of the so-called “Reclaimed Water for Industrial Use Project” was set to get underway on Monday, August 17, according to a new filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). The $108 million project is one of several emergency measures that the city of Corpus Christi – which provides freshwater to more than 500,000 people across seven counties – is pursuing in an effort to diversify its water supply amid prolonged drought. The project aims to make treated effluent, or wastewater, more readily available to the industrial water consumers that make up the lion’s share of water consumption in the Coastal Bend.
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Phase 1 of the project, which the Corpus Christi City Council approved last November involved an $11 million design contract awarded to a Miami, Florida-based engineering firm called Ardurra Group Inc. On June 30 of this year, the council unanimously approved an emergency measure to fast-track Phase 2, the construction phase, to be carried out by Houston-based Reytec Construction Services. It’s a project that city leaders described as “a key component of the City’s long term water supply strategy.”
“This is one of those investments that doesn’t always get a lot of attention, but it makes a real difference for our community,” Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette M. Guajardo said on social media after the vote.
As part of the project, about 10.5 miles of 36-inch pipe called a transmission main will be installed to connect two of Corpus Christi Water’s current facilities. The transmission main will be divided into four distinct sections that can be constructed concurrently by “multiple construction crews,” according to documents obtained by MySA. Construction is expected to be completed by May 2027.
“The $107.5 million project includes building a reclaimed water pipeline from the Oso Water Reclamation Plant to the Greenwood Water Reclamation Plant,along with a new pump station, wet well, and supporting infrastructure,” Guajardo said.
New estimates show that Corpus Christi is expected to reach a Level 1 water emergency in September 2028. Prior to heavy rains in July 2026, the Coastal Bend was expected to reach a Level 1 emergency by September 2026. (Courtesy Corpus Christi Water)
Putting effluent water to use is not a new idea for the Coastal Bend. Indeed, Corpus Christi has used wastewater for “non-potable reuse” since the 1960s for things like watering golf courses and local parks, like Bill Witt Park. But that only accounts for about 4.6% of the total effluent that Corpus Christi Water produces. This new reclaimed water project will produce as much as 11 million gallons of reclaimed water per day, the mayor said. Officials plan to sell the effluent water to some of the city’s largest-volume users – its industrial customers.
“This treated effluent reuse project is intended to supplement an ordinance authorizing… the Provision and Sale of Recycled Water from the City to Valero Refinery,” reads an April 8 memo from the project’s designers, Ardurra Group.
The emergency status of the project meant Corpus Christi officials could approve construction without having to go through a time-consuming competitive bidding process. City leaders gave the emergency project their blessing after years of drought prompted stark warnings that the Coastal Bend could hit a Level 1 water emergency as soon as September. While heavy rains in July have provided some reprieve, the water scarcity threat is not over. Officials now estimate reaching a Level 1 water emergency two years from now, by September 2028.
This article originally published at $108M water project begins as Corpus Christi races to secure supply.