The City of Corpus Christi wants to build a seawater desalination plant and a 3.1-mile pipeline along the Inner Harbor of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. While desalination might sound like a good idea, this project carries serious risks to our environment, public health, and community.

Desalination plants create highly concentrated salty wastewater (brine) that is dumped back into the water. This can kill fish, shrimp, and other marine life by reducing oxygen levels and increasing salinity.

The area where this plant is planned is already heavily polluted. Dredging to build the plant and pipeline could stir up toxic chemicals from the sediment, further contaminating the water and harming ecosystems.

The Hillcrest neighborhood, where this plant will be built, has some of the highest rates of asthma, cancer, and birth defects in the area due to existing industrial pollution.

The desalination process releases harmful air pollution and increases noise, traffic, and industrial activity, making life even harder for residents already dealing with environmental injustices.

Desalination is one of the most energy-intensive ways to get water. This plant would put extra strain on our already fragile electric grid, raising the risk of power outages—especially during extreme weather events like Winter Storm Uri.

This expensive project will likely increase water rates, meaning families and small businesses in Corpus Christi could end up paying more—without clear benefits.

The City hasn’t proven this project is necessary or that it’s the best option for Corpus Christi’s water future. Safer, more sustainable alternatives should be fully explored before damaging our environment, raising costs for residents and impacting the health and wellbeing of citizens.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is accepting public comments on this permit until March 10, 2025. We need to demand a public hearing and urge them to reject this permit.

📩 Submit your comment and request for hearing today!

Together, we can protect our community and coastline. Speak out today!