In a 5-3 vote, Corpus Christi City Council votes down motion to award and move forward on design for Inner Harbor desalination project.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Update, 9/1/26, 11:23 p.m.:
In a 5-3 vote, Corpus Christi City Council votes down motion to move forward with design for Inner Harbor desalination project.

At 10:06 p.m. Tuesday, Corpus Christi City Council voted against a proposal to award the design-build contract to Corpus Christi Desalination Partners, LLC. 

Councilmembers in favor of the proposal: 
Everett Roy
Mark Scott
Roland Barrera

Councilmembers against the proposal:
Carolyn Vaughn
Eric Cantu
Gil Hernandez
Kaylynn Paxson
Sylvia Campos

Stay with 3NEWS for updates.



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Original Story: 
New changes aimed at addressing environmental concerns are being proposed for Corpus Christi’s Inner Harbor desalination project as the City Council again considers whether to move the project forward.

The Inner Harbor project returned to council Tuesday after a decision was postponed multiple times, including when council members tabled the item in June.

City staff said 54 people signed up to speak during public comment today. While people discussed several issues, most focused on the Inner Harbor desalination project and offered different views on its future.

The project itself is not new, but Tuesday’s presentation includes new elements designed to address environmental concerns.

One proposal from Ardurra, the company designing the project, calls for real-time monitoring of salinity levels in the bay.

Councilwoman Sylvia Campos said she remains opposed to the project and hopes the council ultimately stops it.

“We finally need to just kill it. We don’t want it,” Campos said. “They’re dangling things like, ‘oh we’ll put it out into the bay in phase 2.’ Well if they can’t do it in phase 1, then no one is interested.”

Campos also questioned who would benefit from the project.

“But again, this project is not for the people, it is for big industry,” she said.

Meanwhile, Councilman Mark Scott said he continues to support the project and is ready to move forward.

“I think it’s safe to assume the state is watching, and I think it’s safe to assume the federal government is watching,” Scott said. “And so I think any delay is going to get a negative reaction from them.”

The comments come as the city continues to weigh the future of the proposed desalination facility and how it could address the region’s long-term water needs.

Some critics said they appreciate the work project developer Ardurra has done to hear and address environmental concerns raised by the community. However, they remain unconvinced that those changes are enough to win their support for the project.

Councilman Roland Barrera said he believes the monitoring is a positive step toward addressing concerns about the project.

“There’ll be monitors testing the salinity of the bay in real time,” Barrera said.

Barrera said the monitoring would be done by the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Foundation and could provide information for additional studies.

Another proposal calls for a pipeline that would be built during the project’s second phase. The pipeline would discharge brine into the Gulf, potentially allowing the plant to produce more water.

That phase would come about five years later.

Mayor Pro Tem Kaylynn Paxson said she appreciates the work that has gone into the latest proposal, but still has concerns about the project’s cost and how much water it would provide.

“There’s still an enormous price tag,” Paxson said. “There’s still, to me, a clear concern with the amount of water this project could provide even in this new iteration.”

Paxson said she wants to weigh the city’s desalination options before making a decision.

Council members were also hearing a presentation on a separate Harbor Island desalination project being considered by the city. The Nueces River Authority was giving that presentation.

Mayor Paulette Guajardo is unable to participate in the Inner Harbor vote because of her suspension. Eight council members can vote, and five votes are needed for the item to move forward.

3NEWS will continue to follow the council’s discussion and update this story as more information becomes available.