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Public commenters press city on desalination permits, far-field modeling and sludge disposal plans
Summary
Multiple residents and experts urged the City Council to pursue or disclose far-field modeling and clarified permit details for the proposed Inner Harbor desalination effort; city staff and counsel said outside legal advised against a formal far-field model at this time and emphasized near-field modeling and TCEQ permitting work.
Public commenters used the City Council’s public-comment period to press for more testing, transparency and answers about the proposed Inner Harbor desalination project and its discharge permitting.
At the start of the public-comment segment, consultant and project opponents cited a recent decision by outside counsel and the city attorney advising not to move forward with a formal far-field model for the project. “There’s been a decision and recommendations from outside legal and your legal team that right now we do not move forward with a formal far field model,” said a commenter quoting project staff and legal advice. The commenter and others said that steering resources away from far‑field modeling would not support defending the city’s draft TCEQ discharge permit.
City staff previously told the council the current regulatory path relies on near‑field mixing models and a…
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