CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Corpus Christi stepped into the spotlight Thursday as it hosted the first ever One Water Summit, a two-day conference bringing together hundreds of water and wastewater professionals from across the country.
Held at the American Bank Center, the event was organized by Corpus Christi Water and focused on finding innovative, long term solutions to some of the toughest water challenges facing Texas and other regions. Some of the most pertinent topics included drought response, water reuse, seawater desalination, and industrial consent agreements.
“Bringing the best and brightest minds from outside of our region to Corpus Christi was an opportunity to learn from people, network with people, exchange ideas, exchange information,” Chief Operating Officer of Corpus Christi Water, Drew Molly, said.
Molly said the summit marks a turning point for how the region and other communities approach water issues, shifting the focus from crisis response to strategic planning and collaboration.
“We don’t want to make the same mistakes that have been made in the past,” he added. “We want to take the best of the best, from the best, and use it here in the City of Corpus Christi.”
The event also featured national insight from leading water professionals like Bob Yamada. He's the former Director of Water Resources for the San Diego County Water Authority. Yamada played a leading role in the development of the Carlsbad Desalination Plant, the largest seawater desalination facility in the United States, located in California.
"What we've see is a consistent production. We're at 130 billion gallons of water produced by that facility since it began in 2015. It makes up about 10% of our water use in any given year," Yamada said. "The local leaders here have been out a couple times for tours of the Carlsbad facility. So we’ve been able to show them how that facility operates.”
Yamada emphasized the importance of diversified water strategies for coastal communities, adding that seawater desalination will play a critical role in future water security.
Though the summit was designed for professionals, organizers say the outcomes will also directly impact local water users. Proceeds from the event will go towards helping water users in need of utility assistance through the city's newly created Water Assistance Fund. The proceeds will be distributed to Mission 911, a local nonprofit that helps families in need. An accurate proceed amount will be announced during the final day of the conference.
Looking ahead, city officials said plans are already underway to host the summit again next year.
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