The Harbor Island seawater desalination project has secured an offshore discharge permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality — the final step in permitting for the plant.
The Port of Corpus Christi, which announced the offshore discharge permit on Sept. 23, began the process of applying for permits necessary for a seawater desalination facility on Harbor Island near Port Aransas years ago.
Initially, the port pursued permitting for nearshore discharge into the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, sparking concern and protest from members of the community concerned about the ecological impacts. The nearshore permit was received in late 2022.
Last year, the port filed a new application, doubling the amount of proposed effluent discharged from
future plant and changing the discharge point to offshore in the gulf.
The resolution passed by the port commission at the time described offshore discharge as "the most environmentally conservative approach." The resolution includes language revoking and abandoning the nearshore permit upon receipt of the offshore permit.
“The Port of Corpus Christi initiated the process to secure permits for a proposed desalination facility on Harbor Island almost a decade ago, recognizing the increasingly critical need to establish a reliable, drought-resilient water supply for the region that would be significantly larger than otherwise contemplated,” Port of Corpus Christi CEO Kent Britton said in a Sept. 23 news release. “Through that process, we have engaged with the communities we serve and have addressed reasonable concerns for our local bay system by moving the plant intake and discharge offshore.”
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality denied all hearing requests and agreed to grant the offshore discharge permit during a Sept. 23 meeting.
The permit will allow the potential facility to discharge brine through a pipe under the Aransas Pass Channel, Lydia Ann Channel and San Jose Island.
Currently, the port has a lease agreement with the Nueces River Authority, allowing the river authority to develop a facility to produce water for municipal and industrial customers, with a capacity of up to 100 million gallons of potable water per day.
The Nueces River Authority has chosen to work with IDE Technologies, an Israeli firm, to build and operate the plant. The river authority has secured reservation agreements with municipalities including the city of Corpus Christi and communities near San Antonio for water from the eventual plant.
The river authority plans to build a pipeline to send the water from Harbor Island to customers.
The Nueces River Authority Board of Directors plans to receive a presentation regarding IDE's concept and anticipated design approach for the facility during a Sept. 25 meeting.
This presentation will include information on treatment technology, plant configuration, intake and discharge systems, power requirements, site considerations, construction approach and related infrastructure considerations, according to the meeting agenda.
This is a separate project from the city of Corpus Christi's similarly named Inner Harbor desalination project.
Olivia Garrett reports on education and community news in South Texas. Contact her at olivia.garrett@caller.com.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Harbor Island desalination facility receives offshore discharge permit
