Frequently Asked Questions

My Town, Our Future is a public awareness campaign designed to reignite support for business in the Coastal Bend. Members include businesses, trade associations, Chambers of commerce, and individuals. My Town, Our Future does not endorse candidates or specific ballot initiatives. It does encourage residents to advocate for quality jobs, new business, and other opportunities.

The United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce advocates for its member companies and organizations to advance economic prosperity in the Coastal Bend. Water is a necessity not only for the businesses we represent, but for all residents, livestock, and communities that comprise the Coastal Bend. We will work with all parties to explore all possibilities that, together, will supply the Coastal Bend with the water we need to live, work, play, and prosper.

The Chamber, on behalf of its member companies as always, will continue to advocate for the Inner Harbor desalination plant. The time and money invested and the relatively fast completion date will begin to deliver the water we so desperately need. We look forward to working with all parties to clear the way and finish this first project that will produce steady, drought-proof water. Concurrently, along with others, we look forward to reviewing other desalination considerations including Harbor Island and Evangeline while exploring all other options presented. We are all in this together. Let’s move forward.

The facility will deliver at least 30 million gallons a day of clean, safe, drought-proof water to support residents, small businesses, and industrial users.

Design, planning, and permitting are underway and, assuming construction begins early in 2026 as planned, the Inner Harbor facility will be fully operational in two years. Based on the current timeline, we could recognize 30 million gallons of water every day in the summer of 2028.

Yes. Advanced desalination technology that will be used at the Inner Harbor facility ensures safety. The technology includes reverse osmosis which removes contaminants at a higher standard than today’s system. The project must also pass strict testing by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) before being connected to our water system.

Yes, and it is heavily relied on in many parts of the world. Today, over 190 countries and territories use some form of desalination. There are more than 22,000 desalination plants operating worldwide and, as of 2024, those plants were producing approximately 29 billion gallons of water per day. Texas has 53 municipal desalination facilities to date.

The Inner Harbor Water Treatment Campus will be located at the corner of Nueces Bay Boulevard and West Broadway Street. The intake and discharge structures will be constructed within a secured segment of the Inner Harbor Ship Channel.

The Inner Harbor site was selected from 21 options because it connects efficiently to existing pump stations, keeps costs lower, ensures long-term reliability, and minimizes environmental impacts.

Funding comes from large-user surcharges, low-interest state loans, and federal grants. This ensures industry helps shoulder the cost and protects affordability for residents.

Desalination is proven worldwide. Without it, we risk water shortages that threaten business investment and agriculture, the creation of jobs for our residents, and our quality of life. With it, we secure our future growth and competitiveness and ensure that residents can continue to enjoy the benefits of living in the Coastal Bend.

Everyone will benefit. This water will flow into the same system that serves families, neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, and employers across the seven-county service area.

It is not the only desalination solution, but it is the only one that is underway and can be completed in a relatively short period of time. Ideally, multiple sources will be identified, approved, and delivered. Other solutions are being considered and the City, the Chamber, state officials and others continue to explore all possibilities to ensure water for the future.

Widespread, repeated rains over the Nueces/Frio watershed could potentially move the current drought status from Stage 3 to Stage 2, but rainfall is uncertain and our region must make use of existing technology to ensure the steady supply of water that we need to live and work in the Coastal Bend.

On behalf of our members, we have continuously advocated for desalination since 2020. And in February of 2025, our board of directors approved the recommendation for a resolution supporting the Inner Harbor project. The recommendation was made by the Chamber’s Infrastructure Committee and Policy Committee and was reviewed and approved by Board officers prior to being ratified by the Board. Our positions on desalination and the Inner Harbor projects are not new and they continue to reflect the beliefs and opinions of our Member companies.

Currently, our region depends on rainfall-fed lakes and a single water treatment plant as we have done for decades. As Corpus Christi and surrounding communities continue to grow, the demand for water grows as well and that growth creates risk for residents and businesses. The Inner Harbor Water Treatment Campus will add a drought-proof, reliable water source to protect families, employers, and future growth.

• City of Corpus Christi – Inner Harbor FAQ: sustainablewater.corpuschristitx.gov/faq
• U.S. Department of Energy – Desalination Basics: energy.gov/eere/ito/desalination-basics
• Texas Water Development Board – Desalination Facts: twdb.texas.gov/innovativewater/desal/facts.asp