Federal authorities will not object to a draft permit for the city of Corpus Christi’s proposed Inner Harbor desalination plant, according to a letter sent Friday.
Addressed to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the message from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states officials were “allowed additional time to assess and discuss the potential impacts of the proposed discharge to the receiving water body and the surrounding community.”
“Based on our review of the revised permit and fact sheet, EPA does not plan to object to the TCEQ’s issuance of the draft permit,” the message states.
The letter — provided to the Caller-Times by city officials — is digitally signed by Curry Jones, EPA permitting and water quality branch manager.
EPA’s decision clears another pathway in city officials’ pursuit for full permitting to operate a seawater desalination plant at its selected Inner Harbor site, located off Nueces Bay Boulevard and West Broadway Street.
The planned $757.5 million facility is proposed to generate as much as 30 million gallons of treated water per day.