The Corpus Christi City Council on Dec. 14 voted to authorize City Manager Peter Zanoni to begin negotiations to acquire property at or near two proposed desalination plants. 
The motion on Tuesday's meeting agenda was a resolution authorizing the negotiation of a final real estate term sheet necessary to acquire real property interests. 
“This is a standard real estate deal, to see if we can get an option on the properties,” Councilman Mike Pusley said. “Once we have the other factors in line, we may or may not make a purchase, one of which would be predicated upon our ability to obtain a permit.”
Locations are at Inner Harbor Nueces Bay Boulevard and La Quinta Channel. The current landowners are Flint Hills Resources Corpus Christi LLC and Occidental Chemical Corp. Much more attention has been paid to the Inner Harbor location, but permits have been submitted for both.
The purchase of the land would require further City Council input at a later date. 
The vote was prior to a special town hall meeting scheduled to address the Seawater Desalination Project. The meeting is set for  7-9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16. The discussion will include public input at a virtual town hall meeting. 
The town hall will provide the public a platform to comment and ask the seawater desalination team questions.
To sign up to speak at the town hall meeting, call 877-229-8493 and use ID CODE 120948#. Questions posed during the virtual town hall will be noted by staff and answered at the end of the program.
The City Council and Water Utilities Department will discuss drought-proof water source potential for the Coastal Bend region. 
After the 2011-13 drought, Corpus Christi began researching ways to have more potable water available during dry times. The city is the regional water supplier, serving approximately 500,000 customers in Nueces, San Patricio, Aransas, Kleberg, and Jim Wells counties, including all major industrial water customers in Nueces and San Patricio counties.
Those opposed to the desalination plants argue that the potential discharge of brine could hurt sea life and that the money spent will cost the city and affect residents with higher water charges.
At a City Council meeting on Dec. 17, 2019, members voted for a resolution authorizing the submission of applications to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for La Quinta Channel and Inner Harbor water rights diversion and discharge permits. These were necessary for development of the two seawater desalination plants and authorizing payment of permit fees in a total amount not to exceed $450,000.
In May 2021, TCEQ sent the application back to the Port of Corpus Christi requesting more scientific work. 
The city website describing the desal project indicates that it will have low impact on residents, could produce up to 20 million gallons of potable water daily, will be an uninterruptible water supply, and will be environmentally responsible with water innovation. 
“Combined with additional funding from industry partners and a low-interest loan from the Texas Water Development Board, seawater desalination is a new water source with a low impact to ratepayers,” reads a statement on the desal project page. 
Following the drought in the mid-2010s, a group was formed to investigate potential sources for a consistent water supply for the area. The group included the city of Corpus Christi, the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corp., the Port Industries of Corpus Christi, San Patricio Municipal Water District, and the Port of Corpus Christi through its PICC membership. 
With the initial phase of the investigation funded by the city, EDC, and PICC, a consultant, Freese and Nichols Inc., investigated new water supply options and focused its analysis on seawater desalination. 
Other ways to participate in the virtual town hall on Dec. 16 are via: 

The town hall will also be broadcast on CCTV (AT&T U-verse Channel 99, Grande Channel 20, Spectrum Channel 1300).