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City staff update council on multiple water supply projects; timelines tied to permits, power and conveyance
Summary
City water staff briefed the City Council on Oct. 7 on multiple water supply tracks — Nueces groundwater wells (east and west), a negotiated Evangeline groundwater option, the Nueces River Authority’s Harbor Island desalination project, wastewater reuse talks, and options to evaluate CC Polymers’ desalination plant — and stressed that permits, power delivery and conveyance are the primary constraints on delivery timelines.
City water officials gave a comprehensive update Oct. 7 on the city’s portfolio of water supply projects and the technical and permitting steps needed to bring new supplies online.
Nueces groundwater project: staff reported work on two wellfields. The Eastern Well Field (city property along County Road 73) has eight drilled wells and is discharging up to 8 million gallons per day (MGD); staff sealed the lower portion of one well to improve water quality and re‑tested it. The Western Well Field is under active drilling (wells 9–12 referenced in the presentation); short‑term test results have shown lower total dissolved solids (TDS) than the eastern wells. Staff quoted a conservative long‑term sustainable pumping estimate of about 17 MGD from the western field (with potential short‑term higher yields as test data accumulate). Staff noted current expenditures for these wellfield efforts and that the city has a $30 million state grant that staff is managing with the Texas Water Development Board.
Permitting and power remain gating items. City staff said a new Ben and Banks (river discharge) permit will be required for the western wellfield discharge and that hydrogeologic work was being compiled to support that submittal. Power delivery timelines from the utility will determine the number of wells that can operate in the near term (staff said partial power could be available before year‑end and full buildout power by May 2026 under current schedules).
Evangeline groundwater option: staff described a negotiated option/earnest agreement for roughly 22,789 acres of groundwater rights with a due‑diligence period; the seller must deliver non‑appealable production, drilling and transport permits within the contract timetable. City consultants (Pete Dawson, Hansen, Entera) are performing pre‑engineering and permit work; staff said a phased delivery into the Mary Rose pipeline is targeted as early as late 2026 (partial delivery) with year‑by‑year ramp to full capacity thereafter pending permits and conveyance construction.
Harbor Island desalination (Nueces River Authority): the NRA is advancing a large seawater desalination project and has a land lease with the Port of Corpus Christi for part of Harbor Island. The NRA has issued RFQs for a conveyance line and is expected to solicit a public‑private partnership for plant delivery. Staff planned to bring an option fee for council consideration on Oct. 21 to reserve water and gain participation in conveyance design; NRA has stated a range of possible water‑purchase prices but said final price depends on confirmed construction costs.
Reuse, CC Polymers and South Texas Water Authority: staff reported ongoing negotiations and technical assessments about effluent reuse for industrial customers, aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) technical work, and review of a near‑complete CC Polymers seawater plant on the ship channel as a potential acquisition. The South Texas Water Authority (STWA) arrangement remains under discussion, with staff pursuing an extension of the existing water purchase contract that expires Dec. 31, 2025.
Staff emphasized that each project has specific dependencies — permits, power, easements and conveyance — that affect delivery schedules and that further memos would provide supply/demand forecast graphics and updated timelines. Council asked staff for a weekly or near‑term dashboard showing supply vs. demand and an explicit conservation and outreach plan; staff agreed to provide updated supply/demand projections in follow‑up materials and to present consultant hydrogeologist findings in a subsequent briefing.
Key timelines noted by staff included potential partial Evangeline deliveries in late 2026 and Western Well Field completion targets around May 2026, contingent on power and permitting.
