City of Corpus Christi Receives Draft Permit for Desalination Site

City of Corpus Christi

CORPUS CHRISTI (News Release) –The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) sent a notification to the City of Corpus Christi updating the status of its Texas Pollution Discharge and Elimination System (TPDES) application, along with the draft permit for the City’s Inner Harbor seawater desalination facility.

This is the second of two permits needed from TCEQ to secure the seawater desalination facility. The TCEQ granted the Water Rights permit for the Inner Harbor on October 5, 2022.

"As promised in my August State of the City address, the City of Corpus Christi has successfully received a draft discharge permit for the Inner Harbor Seawater Desalination facility before the end of the calendar year. This is a critical milestone in the City’s quest to secure an affordable, environmentally sustainable, and drought-proof water supply for our region,” said Mayor Paulette Guajardo.

The City submitted its TPDES application to the TCEQ for the Inner Harbor seawater desalination facility in January 2020. This is the first TPDES permit in Texas to utilize seawater desalination for municipal use.

The City looks forward to working with the TCEQ to schedule a public meeting on the draft permit.

Information on the City’s seawater desalination project can be found at www.desal.cctexas.com.