Council Receives Update on Inner Harbor Water Treatment Campus
At today’s regularly scheduled City Council meeting, Mayor Paulette Guajardo and the City Council received a presentation regarding updates on the Inner Harbor Water Treatment Campus – the City’s seawater desalination initiative.
Brett Van Hazel, Program Management Director for the Inner Harbor Water Treatment Campus, provided the council with a current project status and timeline update, details of far-field modeling, and a listing of topics for future Council presentations. Drew Molly, COO of Corpus Christi Water, provided updates on alternative water supply projects. Elisa Olsen, Communications Director, provided a tour of the Inner Harbor Water Treatment Campus website and details of the communication campaigns related to water supply initiatives.
Highlights from the presentation include:
· A video walkthrough of the demonstration plant, the scaled-down pilot required by permit, which will mimic the primary operations of the whole plant
· A detailed description and graphic depiction of the far-field model domain
· Specifics of the Nueces Groundwater Wells Project, for which a permit application and letter requesting support from the Governor were submitted on May 12
· Information about paid and organic communication campaigns, which are targeted locally and statewide to provide education about the Inner Harbor Water Treatment Campus and the City’s 4-tiered approach to water security
About the Project
The Inner Harbor Water Treatment Campus represents a vital component of the City’s long-term water management strategy. Seawater desalination provides a drought-proof water supply by converting seawater into fresh drinking water through advanced treatment processes.
This landmark facility is the result of years of careful planning and thorough analysis. The approach to this project focuses on three essential priorities that benefit the community: affordability, environmental sustainability, and reliability.
Affordability ensures the project delivers water at reasonable rates for residents and businesses. Environmental sustainability minimizes ecological impacts through careful design and operation. Reliability creates a drought-proof water supply that functions regardless of climate conditions.
For more information about the Inner Harbor Water Treatment Campus project, visit https://bit.ly/3XRKev5 or contact Rachel Esses, Strategic Business Manager, at 361-826-7350.