Corpus Christi residents will pay higher water rates regardless of whether the city’s controversial $1.189 billion Inner Harbor desalination project moves forward—but canceling it could leave them paying for nothing while facing potential water shortages.
Documents obtained by 6 Investigates reveal that residential customers inside city limits using an average of 6,000 gallons a month face an $8.04 monthly rate increase for 10 years if the project is canceled, compared to an anticipated monthly increase of $11.38 if it continues—a difference of $3.34. Meanwhile, large industries and wholesale customers outside city limits would pay nothing due to Public Utility Commission rate methodology.
This information comes as conflicting information from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has created confusion about whether the project even has valid permits to proceed.
TCEQ’s Mixed Messages Create Permit Confusion
Email exchanges obtained by 6 Investigates show a TCEQ employee repeatedly told a resident between March and July that the Inner Harbor project’s discharge permit was “not authorized” and “has not yet been issued.”…