CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Port of Corpus Christi officials are consolidating their focus and prioritizing desalination permitting for its Harbor Island property.
The port had been working to file permits for both the area between Port Aransas and Aransas Pass, as well as property in the La Quinta Ship Channel between Ingleside on the Bay and Portland.
The Port of Corpus Christi told 3NEWS it has not taken steps to suspend anything with the La Quinta site but rather it is not actively working on it.
Instead the port has focused all its attention on the Harbor Island site, as well as securing permits to desalinate 100 million gallons of water a day and potentially discharge water into the Gulf of Mexico.
The La Quinta Channel is limited to the Corpus Christi Bay as a water source, whereas Harbor Island can draw from the Gulf of Mexico.
The current plan for a Harbor Island facility is an output of 50 million gallons of converted freshwater a day, whereas the plant currently in the works for the city of Corpus Christi would produce 30 million.
The port hopes to have Harbor Island permits authorized and in place by the first half of 2026.
The Port of Corpus Christi added that it is not a developer, so even if it obtains the permit, there will be a lot more work to do to decide who builds the desalination plant. Construction would not start immediately either. Even on an accelerated timeline, a Harbor Island desalination plant is at least five years away.