(This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.)
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the employment status of Travis Pruski, chief operating officer of the Nueces River Authority.
The Nueces River Authority has chosen an investigator to look into allegations made by an employee concerning the leadership of Executive Director John Byrum.
About two weeks ago, a letter from river authority Chief Operating Officer Travis Pruski to the river authority’s Board of Directors was leaked and shared publicly. One of Pruski’s allegations is that Byrum overstated water sales figures in statements to the board and the Corpus Christi City Council.
The Corpus Christi City Council agreed in October to pay the Nueces River Authority a nonrefundable fee of $2.7 million to reserve water from the river authority’s planned Harbor Island desalination project.
The Nueces River Authority Board of Directors met on April 14 to select outside legal counsel to conduct an investigation into Pruski’s allegations. The board chose Kelli Cubeta, a San Antonio attorney.
Board President Eric Burnett said that the board would consider taking action to ensure a “thorough” and “independent” review of the concerns brought to the board.
The Nueces River Authority is tasked with preserving, protecting and developing surface water resources across 22 counties in South Texas. The board is appointed by the governor.
“Recent matters have understandably raised questions,” Burnett said. “And this board and our NRA team are committed to upholding the high standards that have defined this organization.”
In the meantime, Burnett said that the river authority will continue work on all of its projects, including the Harbor Island desalination plant.
Status of Harbor Island desalination plant
The river authority intends to seek a development partner to build a seawater desalination plant that would produce 100 million gallons of treated water per day. The river authority also intends to build a conveyance system to carry water to communities as far away as the San Antonio area.
Burnett said that the authority has made an initial review of proposals from development teams and a final evaluation is underway to select a project developer for Harbor Island.
The board plans to consider approval of a project developer in the next 30 to 45 days.
“Upon the completion of the Harbor Island project, it will be the largest seawater desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere,” Burnett said. “It represents generational investment in water security for communities large and small in South Texas.”
How Corpus Christi City Council responded
As the river authority board met on April 14 at the entity’s offices in Robstown, the Corpus Christi City Council was meeting in Corpus Christi. Several hours after the river authority board completed its meeting, the council discussed the concerns.
City Manager Peter Zanoni said that if the Nueces River Authority’s reputation is damaged due to the allegations, it could potentially make it less likely that the river authority can “produce the plant and less likely that we can buy water from them,” but the city is not otherwise exposed.
The Nueces River Authority is in compliance with the contract terms, Zanoni said, also stressing that the city does not yet know whether the allegations are substantiated.
Zanoni also said that even if the water sales figures Byrum shared were inaccurate, he does not believe the sales figures had an impact on the recommendation of city staff to approve the reservation contract.
Staff presentations and council briefing memos created before the contract approval did not reference how much water had already been reserved, Zanoni said.
“We believe that the statements that were made in terms of how much was reserved and not reserved didn’t have any bearing on … myself or other staff that made presentations to the council,” Zanoni said.
The issue was addressed at the City Council meeting at the request of Mayor Paulette Guajardo.
Guajardo said she disagreed with Zanoni’s stance, saying Pruski’s allegations were “serious” and that the city should be repaid the $2.7 million it paid if the allegations are substantiated.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Nueces River Authority board picks attorney to investigate allegations
Reporting by Olivia Garrett, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times
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