$175-million desalination and pipeline project approved to boost Corpus Christi water supply

Corpus Christi officials have approved key contracts and funding to advance a $175-million brackish water desalination plant and conveyance infrastructure project aimed at strengthening long-term water supply in South Texas. 

Image credited to City of Corpus Christi

The project includes construction of a containerized reverse osmosis treatment facility at the existing O.N. Stevens Water Treatment Plant, along with associated upgrades and a new conveyance system to transport brackish groundwater from a well field in rural Nueces County. According to The Construction Broadsheet, planned infrastructure includes transmission pipelines, storage tanks, pump stations and effluent discharge facilities to support plant operations.

City Council approved a $43.5-million contract to FCC Aqualia USA Corp. to deliver the desalination plant under a phased production schedule, with initial output expected to reach approximately 3.9 million gallons per day within the first year and full capacity of about 21.3 MGD within 24 months. The city also authorized up to $120 million for conveyance infrastructure and an additional $11.5 million for site improvements and related work at the treatment plant, The Construction Broadsheet reported. 

The project is intended to provide a supplemental water source as the region faces historically low reservoir levels and ongoing drought conditions. Officials said the desalination and groundwater conveyance system is part of a broader strategy that includes water reuse, groundwater development and other supply initiatives to improve resilience and diversify municipal water infrastructure.