CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The City of Alice expects its brackish water desalination plant to be up and running next month.
The city has been working on this project since 2017 and it will provide a valuable water source to the city.
It couldn't come at a better time as our area is in Stage 3 drought restrictions.
The plant will turn brackish water into drinking water for the city through a process called reverse osmosis. It will eventually provide 90 percent of the daily water needs for the city.
Alice City Manager Michael Esparza showed 3NEWS the city's reverse osmosis plant that is being built and run by Seven Seas Water.
Right now, Alice gets its water from the City of Corpus Christi, but that’s going to change soon once one of two water wells begins to send water into the facility next door.
Both wells will produce a total of 2.7 million gallons of water a day.
"We’re hoping to be in operation by toward the end of January, full commission and operation.” Seven Seas Water General Manager Mark Wernli said.
Once that water is tested and passes state requirements they’ll be able to send the city water sometime in April.
Now, the City of Alice has an agreement with Seven Seas to build and run the facility for 18 years and then turn it over to the City. The City will pay a certain amount of money each year for the water produced here.
”Our estimates have been that there is not going to be a water rate increase because of this," Alice City Manager Michael Esparza said. "I mean to give you an idea we pay $1.8 million a year in raw water purchases so we pay right now about a $1.10 for raw water to Corpus Christi so if we come off that water we’ll be able to put that into this side."
"All testing and everything we should easily be able to do 1.3, 1.4 million and then the second well, it works now so sometime toward the end of this year Q3, Q4 we’re hoping that wells comes online and we can run full out," Wernli said.
3NEWS was also told that there is plenty of room to expand the plant which is located right behind the city's water treatment facility.