As a high-stakes vote on Inner Harbor desalination looms, residents are speaking out against the proposed plant — and, in some cases, preparing to deliver their comments directly to the Corpus Christi City Council in the hours leading up to a decision.
Signing off on a contract to continue work on the project will be considered June 2.
Proponents have said that development of the plant, planned to generate as much as 30 million gallons of treated water per day, is integral to building a water portfolio that can withstand drought in the future.
The project has drawn significant criticism, largely based on disagreement between supporters and opponents of the extent to which the plant’s operations may impact the bay system, as well as its location within the edges of a historically Black and Hispanic neighborhood.
About two dozen opponents of the plant — some as young as middle-school age — gathered May 29 at the Brooks AME Worship Center to discuss the project and its potential implications within the lens of the environment as well as preserving the Hillcrest neighborhood.
Monna Lytle, a resident and advocate of the subdivision, told attendees that Hillcrest does not want the plant.
“Hillcrest is a neighborhood, has been a neighborhood and will always be a neighborhood,” she said.
Kirsten Crow covers city government and water news. Have a story idea? Contact her at kirsten.crow@caller.com.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Inner Harbor desalination opponents speak out against plant
Reporting by Kirsten Crow, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times
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