Council stalls Inner Harbor desalination amendment, directs staff to seek SWIFT funding flexibility

Corpus Christi — The Corpus Christi City Council voted late Tuesday not to authorize Amendment No. 5 to the design–build contract for the city’s Inner Harbor desalination project and directed staff to ask the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to extend and consider repurposing SWIFT financing tied to the project.

Brett Van Hazel, the program management office director for the Inner Harbor project, told council the amendment would have paid Kiewit Infrastructure South a not‑to‑exceed $50 million to advance the project from about 10% design to 60% design and produce a guaranteed maximum price (GMP). “This item is to approve Amendment number 5 to Kiewit in the amount of $50,000,000,” Van Hazel said in his presentation, describing the deliverables the city would receive at 30% and 60% design.

The item followed more than eight hours of public comment, during which hundreds of residents, environmental groups, industry representatives and utility experts urged opposing positions. Many speakers from the Hillcrest neighborhood and neighborhood advocates said the plant should not be located near the residential community, citing environmental justice and ecological concerns. Industry representatives and other supporters urged continuation in order to secure a drought‑resistant supply for residents and local businesses.

Council debate focused on three recurrent facts spelled out during the meeting: the project’s most recent high‑level cost…