The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) approved an offshore discharge permit for the Port of Corpus Christi on Sept. 23, thereby completing permitting for the proposed large-scale Harbor Island Desalination Facility.

The permits for the Harbor Island desalination facility now allow construction of a plant that will produce up to 100 million gal/d of potable water for industrial and/or municipal use.

Kent Britton, Chief Executive Officer for the Port of Corpus Christi, said “The Port of Corpus Christi initiated the process to secure permits for a proposed desalination facility on Harbor Island almost a decade ago, recognizing the increasingly critical need to establish a reliable, drought-resilient water supply for the region that would be significantly larger than otherwise contemplated. Through that process, we have engaged with the communities we serve and have addressed reasonable concerns for our local bay system by moving the plant intake and discharge offshore.”

Gabe Guerra, Port of Corpus Christi Commission Chairman, said “This final step in permitting a desalination facility on Harbor Island is pivotal for our region’s search for a long-term solution to water supply challenges, and we look forward to our lessee, the Nueces River Authority (NRA), and their private partner, IDE Technologies, continuing to progress the project to help bring water security to the Coastal Bend and Texas.”