AUSTIN — Today, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) approved a request from the City of Corpus Christi (City) for $535,110,000 in multi-year financing from the State Water Implementation Revenue Fund for Texas (SWIFT) for the City’s Inner Harbor Seawater Desalination Treatment Plant. For more than a decade, the City has worked to secure an additional reliable water source to withstand future droughts and the projected increase in demand of water for a region that encompasses seven counties. Currently, the City provides water and wastewater services to about 500,000 people. But the City relies on surface water from four sources and one plant that treats about 25 billion gallons of water each year.

The Inner Harbor Seawater Desalination Treatment Plant will be designed to produce potable water. The plant is critical for the continued growth of the Coastal Bend region, as Corpus Christi is a direct or indirect regional supplier of water for municipal and industrial use for multiple entities. The plant is projected to be fully integrated into the City’s regional water system in 2028. This is the second low-interest loan the City has been awarded from the state through SWIFT. In 2020, the City was awarded $222 million to build a 20-million-gallons-per-day (MGD) desalination plant. Four years later the estimated cost to build the plant escalated to $758 million. The second low-interest loan is needed to cover the additional costs to build a much bigger plant with 30 million MGD as well as cover construction-related inflation costs.

Senator Hinojosa issued the following statement:

"I commend the City of Corpus Christi for their proactive approach to ensure our families and businesses have a sustainable water supply for multiple generations. Converting our sea and brackish water into reusable water is just one key component to providing a reliable, sustainable water base for future economic development and jobs in the region. This upcoming session water security is one of my top priorities for my district. The future prosperity of communities throughout the Coastal Bend and the Rio Grande Valley continues to be threatened by water shortages. As Texans, we tend to be reactive to address issues as they come up. But when it comes to water security, we must be proactive by implementing solutions that result in new or additional sources of water."

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