A Civil Rights complaint against the city of Corpus Christi related to the proposed development of a desalination plant has been referred to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The original administrative complaint was filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2022 and led to an investigation into whether city officials’ plans to construct a desalination plant near the historically Black Hillcrest neighborhood complied with the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
City officials have denied “all of the allegations related to the Hillcrest neighborhood,” a memo issued to councilmembers Friday states.
The proposed plant off the ship channel and adjacent to the Northside neighborhood would generate about 30 million gallons of water per day. The project in its entirety – to include construction of the plant and supporting infrastructure – is estimated to cost about $758 million.
A letter from HUD received by city officials Friday states that the case had been referred to the U.S. Department of Justice – which has a Civil Rights division – in December, the same day as when city officials announced a draft discharge permit had been issued for the facility.