CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Protestors and city officials all gathered at the American Bank Center Thursday night for a public meeting held by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality or 'TCEQ.'
The meeting gave the community an opportunity to learn about the proposed Inner Harbor Desalination Plant.
"A lot of people here have never been to a TCEQ Meeting, never been to a public comment, so I hope they are able to do it and feel supported," For the Greater Good Co-founder Isabel Araiza said.
COO Drew Molly said the plant could be an invaluable resource for the Coastal Bend community.
"Many larger cities have more than three water treatment plants, so this is a chance to build additional water security into our system," he said.
The meeting will also play a role in deciding the fate of the discharge permit, a tool that is crucial to move forward with the project. Molly said he feels confident that it can be secured.
"We have put together a very good team that's going to help advance this team along," he said. "This is a big step tonight, obviously the community is going to have input."
One of the many community members that gave their input is Aaron Urie. He said that he hopes his concerns are heard.
"I don't believe in creating fresh water for industry in an environment like ours," Urie said. "I just believe you put industry in the appropriate places."
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality provided a statement to 3NEWS that reads:
"The City of Corpus Christi has submitted an application to the Texas Commission on Environmental (TCEQ) for a new Industrial Wastewater Permit, Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) Permit No. WQ005289000 which would authorize the discharge of water treatment waste at a daily average flow not to exceed 34,300,000 gallons per day (gpd) for the initial phase and 51,500,000 gpd for the final phase via Outfall 001, in the City of Corpus Christi, Nueces County.
The public meeting is being held at a request of the State Representative Abel Herrero. The purpose of the meeting is to provide an opportunity for the community to ask questions to the TCEQ and the applicant. The comment period will end at the close of the evening's public meeting.
Following today's meeting TCEQ will prepare a written Response to Comments (RTC) responding to all comments received during the public notice period. The RTC will be mailed to all commenters and any person on the TCEQ mailing list. No final decision concerning the application will be at the public meeting."