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The Corpus Christi City Council has delayed a vote on a plan to cut water use if a Level 1 emergency is triggered. Shown is the Corpus Christi City Hall.<\/p>\n
Pedro Garcia\/For the Texas Tribune<\/p>\n
A sharply divided Corpus Christi City Council declined Tuesday to apply for a federal grant to help build a proposed $978.8 million water treatment project.<\/p>\n
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Council members traded insults and accusations on their way to a 5-4 vote that casts further doubt on a proposed desalination plant meant to provide a drought-resistant water supply in about three years.<\/p>\n
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Council members Roland Barrera, Mark Scott and Everett Roy suggested tapping a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation grant program that offers up to $120 million to help build desalination plants across the country.<\/p>\n
Barrera said he proposed the grant application with little hope of passing a bitterly conflicted City Council, but felt it was worth the effort because the city needs the funding.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew where it was going to go,\u201d he said. \u201cI’m highly disappointed, because I think we’re here to serve the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Council Member Carolyn Vaughn said the agenda item was a waste of the council\u2019s time.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI’m so glad that you admitted that you put it on here knowing full well no one was going to support it, because what you wanted to do was cause chaos,\u201d Vaughn said. She also defended herself and the other four opposing council members, whom she said Barrera recently called \u201cstupid\u201d on a radio show.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou call people stupid, that’s such a childish thing to do,\u201d she told Barrera. \u201cYou do that whenever you have nothing else to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t think we’re stupid, I think we’re trying to protect the ratepayers and the taxpayers,\u201d Council Member Eric Cantu said.<\/p>\n
The City Council in September halted efforts to build a $1.2 billion desalination plant<\/a> \u2014 capable of treating around 30 million gallons of seawater a day beginning in 2029 \u2014 citing concerns about the cost and environmental impact from salty discharge into Corpus Christi Bay.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The city\u2019s water department asked the council to reconsider the plant in early June <\/a>after cutting the price tag to nearly $980 million. Council members deferred that decision until Sept. 1.<\/p>\n But with an Aug. 26 deadline to apply for the federal grant, opponents said there is no approved project to seek money for.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not have an approved council project to apply this to,\u201d said Council Member Kaylynn Paxson, who voted last fall to pause the Inner Harbor project. \u201cAt the end of the day I don’t support moving forward on this because we don’t have a project that I support to apply this for.\u201d<\/p>\n U.S. Rep. Michael Cloud<\/a>, R-Victoria, announced last month that, with the support of President Donald Trump, the agency was able to remove the $30 million cap on the grant program<\/a>, making Corpus Christi eligible for up to $120 million.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Fewer than a dozen projects are expected to qualify for the federal agency\u2019s WaterSMART Program this year. Applications are ranked on a point system, which prioritizes \u201chow much of the annual demand for the service area is offset by the desalinated water,\u201d according to the agency<\/a>.<\/p>\n The federal grant is meant to provide up to 25% of the project\u2019s total cost to plan, design and build.<\/p>\n During Tuesday\u2019s debate, Scott encouraged the other city council members to think ahead.<\/p>\n \u201cThe responsible thing, the logical thing, the financially prudent thing is to direct you all to work towards that grant while we continue to do our homework on the environment, environmental impacts,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Nick Winkelmann, chief operating officer of the city\u2019s water department, estimated it would cost the city up to $60,000 to apply for the grant, considering staff time and the consulting firm.<\/p>\n Grant applicants are required to provide a feasibility study. Completed by Corpus Christi a few weeks ago, the study found that the plant\u2019s salty discharge would not affect sea life \u2014 although opponents have questioned the fairness of the environmental study.<\/p>\n Council Member Gil Hernandez voted against applying for the grant because the City Council hasn\u2019t yet approved the project. \u201cThis is not the appropriate time to vote on this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Before Tuesday\u2019s meeting, he said he is hesitant about using federal funds for the proposed project.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cAnything with the federal government is just, they take our money in taxes and they give it back to us with requirements and strings,\u201d Hernandez told The Texas Tribune. \u201cThen you have to do all sorts of reporting and it’s a monster to do.\u201d<\/p>\n But Dolly Trolley, the Corpus Christi school board president, told the City Council on Tuesday that the grant was an important opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the city does not apply for this grant, it seems like we’re looking [away from] what is essentially free money,\u201d she said. \u201cMany of you have argued against this project based on cost, and this grant and subsequent grant funds that might be available will make this drought-proof project much more affordable for our region.\u201d<\/p>\n Mary Carlson, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Reclamation, said desalination is a critical tool for diversifying water supplies.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cAs we continue to manage through the impacts of severe drought, desalination offers potential new and reliable water supplies for communities\u201d she said in a statement.<\/p>\n This article<\/a> first appeared on The Texas Tribune<\/a>. 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