A sharply divided Corpus Christi City Council declined Tuesday to apply for a federal grant to help build a proposed $978.8 million water treatment project.
Council members traded insults and accusations on their way to a 5-4 vote that casts further doubt on a proposed desalination plant meant to provide a drought-resistant water supply in about three years.
Council members Roland Barrera, Mark Scott and Everett Roy suggested tapping a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation grant program that offers up to $120 million to help build desalination plants across the country.
Barrera said he proposed the grant application with little hope of passing a bitterly conflicted City Council, but felt it was worth the effort because the city needs the funding.
“I knew where it was going to go,” he said. “I’m highly disappointed, because I think we’re here to serve the community.”
Council Member Carolyn Vaughn said the agenda item was a waste of the council’s time.
“I’m so glad that you admitted that you put it on here knowing full well no one was going to support it, because what you wanted to do was cause chaos,” Vaughn said. She also defended herself and the other four opposing council members, whom she said Barrera recently called “stupid” on a radio show.
“You call people stupid, that’s such a childish thing to do,” she told Barrera. “You do that whenever you have nothing else to say.”
“I don’t think we’re stupid, I think we’re trying to protect the ratepayers and the taxpayers,” Council Member Eric Cantu said.
The City Council in September halted efforts to build a $1.2 billion desalination plant — capable of treating around 30 million gallons of seawater a day beginning in 2029 — citing concerns about the cost and environmental impact from salty discharge into Corpus Christi Bay.
The city’s water department asked the council to reconsider the plant in early June after cutting the price tag to nearly $980 million. Council members deferred that decision until Sept. 1.
But with an Aug. 26 deadline to apply for the federal grant, opponents said there is no approved project to seek money for.
“We do not have an approved council project to apply this to,” said Council Member Kaylynn Paxson, who voted last fall to pause the Inner Harbor project. “At the end of the day I don’t support moving forward on this because we don’t have a project that I support to apply this for.”
U.S. Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Victoria, announced last month that, with the support of President Donald Trump, the agency was able to remove the $30 million cap on the grant program, making Corpus Christi eligible for up to $120 million.
Fewer than a dozen projects are expected to qualify for the federal agency’s WaterSMART Program this year. Applications are ranked on a point system, which prioritizes “how much of the annual demand for the service area is offset by the desalinated water,” according to the agency.
The federal grant is meant to provide up to 25% of the project’s total cost to plan, design and build.
During Tuesday’s debate, Scott encouraged the other city council members to think ahead.
“The responsible thing, the logical thing, the financially prudent thing is to direct you all to work towards that grant while we continue to do our homework on the environment, environmental impacts,” he said.
Nick Winkelmann, chief operating officer of the city’s water department, estimated it would cost the city up to $60,000 to apply for the grant, considering staff time and the consulting firm.
Grant applicants are required to provide a feasibility study. Completed by Corpus Christi a few weeks ago, the study found that the plant’s salty discharge would not affect sea life — although opponents have questioned the fairness of the environmental study.
Council Member Gil Hernandez voted against applying for the grant because the City Council hasn’t yet approved the project. “This is not the appropriate time to vote on this,” he said.
Before Tuesday’s meeting, he said he is hesitant about using federal funds for the proposed project.
“Anything with the federal government is just, they take our money in taxes and they give it back to us with requirements and strings,” Hernandez told The Texas Tribune. “Then you have to do all sorts of reporting and it’s a monster to do.”
But Dolly Trolley, the Corpus Christi school board president, told the City Council on Tuesday that the grant was an important opportunity.
“If the city does not apply for this grant, it seems like we’re looking [away from] what is essentially free money,” she said. “Many of you have argued against this project based on cost, and this grant and subsequent grant funds that might be available will make this drought-proof project much more affordable for our region.”
Mary Carlson, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Reclamation, said desalination is a critical tool for diversifying water supplies.
“As we continue to manage through the impacts of severe drought, desalination offers potential new and reliable water supplies for communities” she said in a statement.
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