CITY COUNCIL TO GET UPDATE ON ISLAND DESALINATION STUDY

Project engineers for the City of Corpus Christi’s Padre Island Desalination Plant Feasibility Analysis and Siting Plan are scheduled to present an update to the Corpus Christi City Council at their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, March 30. The meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers located at 1201 Leopard Street.

The City-funded project is assessing the feasibility of constructing a five million gallons per day (5 mgd) desalination facility and finished water storage alternatives, including aquifer storage and recovery, on North Padre Island. The first phase was completed in June 2003 and included a report to the City Council on the preliminary findings, project recommendations, and cost estimates. The presentation on March 30 will include an update on the second phase of the work.

While the presentation will focus on the Island desalination study, the City is currently working on two other independent desalination initiatives. Using a state grant received in 2003, the City is studying the feasibility of locating a large-scale (25 mgd) desalination facility on a mainland site in Corpus Christi. Some of the activities from the Island study are assisting the large-scale study, but the two projects are moving forward separately. As another initiative, the City is also participating in a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers feasibility study to assess the potential for desalination as a water supply source for the region.