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…