Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Nueces River Authority asks Wilson County to back Harbor Island desalination project
Summary
The Nueces River Authority asked Wilson County to adopt a resolution supporting a large-scale desalination project at Harbor Island, citing a regional shortfall it estimated at more than 50 million gallons per day and rising. Commissioners voted to support the resolution and will revisit the project as it advances.
Mister Pruske, chief operating officer of the Nueces River Authority, asked the Wilson County Commissioners Court to pass a resolution supporting the Harbor Island desalination project, saying the region faces a substantial water shortfall.
"We currently have over a 50,000,000 gallons a day deficit," Pruske told the court, and warned that under current usage the region could face a deficit of "about 200 and, 30,000,000 gallons a day" by 2030 without new supply projects. He described a plan to take seawater about eight miles offshore, treat it at a plant near Harbor Island (property owned by the Port of Corpus Christi) and convey drought-resistant water up the I-37 corridor for counties in the Nueces basin; he said Wilson County could tap the line in the future if needed.
Pruske said the authority has briefed state lawmakers and expects sponsorship in the Legislature; he named Senator Charles Perry as a sponsor on the Senate side and said the House sponsor is expected to be representative McLaughlin. He listed several nearby counties that have already endorsed the project and said the authority is exploring funding sources and state water bills to include the project.
Commissioners asked about alternatives. Pruske said the authority examined brackish groundwater and other local options but questioned their long-term capacity, arguing brackish extraction and injection well disposal "might be a good short term strategy, but we don't believe it's a good long term strategy." He also discussed constraints on moving surface water within the basin given current reservoir levels.
After discussion, Commissioner King moved and Commissioner Martin seconded a motion for the court to adopt a resolution of support for the Nueces River Authority's Harbor Island desalination project. The motion passed unanimously.
The court's action was a local expression of support only; Pruske said the project still requires additional engineering, funding commitments and state legislative action to proceed. He told the court he would return to provide updates in the spring as the project advances.
