CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — There were a number of residents who were excited to help celebrate the groundbreaking for the state's very first public/private partnership that will see a reverse osmosis plant built here.
State Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, State Representative J.M. Lozano and Seven Seas CEO Henry Charrabe were all present for the ceremony.
Seven Seas will build the reverse osmosis treatment plant. It will desalinate and treat that brackish water, which comes from the Gulf Coast Aquifer. That’s a series of underground water sources that runs from Louisiana to Mexico and largely skirts Corpus Christi.
"Our region has more water than all of the combined lakes and surface water in the state of Texas is what they are telling us so there’s quite a bit of water in that Jasper aquifer," said Alice City Manager Michael Esparza.
State lawmakers agree that this first-of-its-kind public-private partnership can be used as a model for other cities around the state looking for another source of water. Currently, Alice gets its water pipes in from lake Corpus Christi.
"When you have this kind of partnership where experts in the field of water quality come in and build a plant and run the plant there is some seed money that the cities need in the state should be able to provide that in the future," Lozano said.
Hinojosa said that the project will yield great benefits to the Coastal Bend.
"It is much easier to convert brackish water into drinking water than salt water from the sea. So, this is just another example of utilizing the states resources to be able to help local communities meet their water needs," Hinojosa said.
Esparza said the city’s project costs is $12.5 million. That includes the money to cover the two wells that will be drilled along with the rest of the infrastructure. Seven Seas is covering the cost of the plant and its maintenance and operation.
"This is a blue print on how to do water and waste water infrastructure in the entire country, especially in Texas," Charrabe said.
The plant should be built by the middle of next year and producing nearly 3 million gallons of water daily to the city.
More from 3News on KIIITV.com:
- Here's when the next Starlink satellites will be visible over Corpus Christi
- District attorney Mark Gonzalez resigns to run for US Senate against Ted Cruz
- Corpus Christi municipal court says more than 53,000 people have active warrants for misdemeanor violations
- Jose 'JJ' Falcon dies of bone cancer
- Corpus Christi cyclists say they were assaulted by aggressive drivers during group ride
- Here's when you can watch the 2023 solar eclipse over Corpus Christi
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for your daily news and exclusive extended interviews.
Do you have a news tip? Tell 3!
Email tell3@kiiitv.com so we can get in touch with you about your story should we have questions or need more information. We realize some stories are sensitive in nature. Let us know if you'd like to remain anonymous.