In the interest of keeping you informed, we have learned that the Port is requesting a water quality permit, No. WQ0005254000, to own and operate a desalination facility on La Quinta Channel. Details are only available at the Sinton Public Library and La Retama in Corpus Christi.
The location is on Port property between Voestalpine and the Channel, just down from where Exxon will send its industrial wastewater and stormwater.
The desal facility will discharge 19,100,000 gal/day into the Channel. While more details are needed, most of these plants require a lot of energy to operate. In addition, after removal of the salt content, they discharge the salty brine into the Channel, creating what some refer to as a “salt plume”.
We have all heard of the proposals to use the bankrupt M&G desal facility on the ship channel in refinery row. We don’t know how that plays into this permit request. What we do suspect is that the Port is locating the facility here to provide easier access to water for the petrochemical industries they are actively pursuing to locate on both sides of Gregory.
