Corpus Christi Council Negotiates Desalination Deal

0:00It's March 26th. This is El Paso News today, driven by AI. Corporate Christie City Council voted 7-1 this week to negotiate buying desalinated water from a private plan. The move aims to fight a historic drought, with two main reservoirs now at just 8.4% capacity and only about 180. Days of supply left. Six months ago, the council scrapped its own desalination project after years of planning and tens of millions spent. They tried purchasing the existing plan from Corpus Christi Polymers, but got turned down last October. Now, they're turning to aquatech, the company building it, to supply drinkable water from seawater or salty groundwater. The system serves 500,000 people across seven counties, and officials warn a water emergency could hit soon without action. City manager Peter Zanone calls desalination a reliable, drought-proof solution for the long haul. The plant stands at 90% complete and could produce 9 million gallons of water daily once connected to the city's lines.

1:02Aquatech plans to finish construction, expanded, and get it running about a year after a contract. Council members showed reluctance, but mostly back-starting talks, hoping to avoid past mistakes while securing steady water flow through this. Critical Dry Spell