CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A routine update on city water projects erupted into a heated debate Tuesday after one councilman questioned whether the long-delayed Inner Harbor desalination project was still alive.
“Is city staff still working on Inner Harbor — or is it dead?” District 1 Councilman Everett Roy asked.
The question reopened a divisive conversation many thought had been put to rest.
Mayor Paulette Guajardo responded quickly.
“I’m going to jump in here — Peter, you probably should have,” she said, referring to City Manager Peter Zanoni. “We’ve had conversations, because desal is still on the table. If desal is going to die, let five people kill it.”
Zanoni acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the project’s future.
“The mayor’s talked to me about bringing it back November first,” he said. “But other councilors have said, ‘No, don’t,’ so I’m a little conflicted. I don’t know what to do.”
The city is awaiting a third letter from the Texas Water Development Board about reallocating Inner Harbor funds to other projects — despite the agency stating twice that such a move is unlikely.
On Friday, Oct. 11, the city officially ended its contract with the project’s contractor, Kiewit, citing “termination for convenience.”
Some council members remained skeptical about bringing the project back.
“It’s not our number-one project that’ll get us water the fastest, so I don’t agree with the mayor about bringing it back,” said District 2 Councilwoman Sylvia Campos.
“Mayor, you need to be cognizant of how we’re going to lead the people forward with confidence — not take them backwards,” added District 4 Councilwoman Kaylynn Paxson.
Roy clarified his intent: “We voted on canceling the contract with Kiewit. We did not vote on killing Inner Harbor.”
Guajardo responded: “At the end of the day, like the councilman said, no one has ever said we’re done with desal. It’s coming back — I’ll put it on the agenda myself. I don’t need five people or four people or three people to do it. I have a lot of the public behind me.”
District 3 Councilman Eric Cantu strongly opposed bringing Inner Harbor back in its current form.
“What screwed up this project is hungry people — self-serving politicians. That’s why this deal got screwed up,” Cantu said.
He claimed former contractor Kiewit told him that some past politicians were “on the take.” He then turned his attention to the mayor.
“You were against Inner Harbor when it was $309 million, and now it’s $1.2 billion — and you want us to say yes to that? You said no back then.”
As tensions rose, At-Large Councilwoman Carolyn Vaughn called for unity.
“We need to quit pointing fingers and start working together for the good of this city,” she said.
District 5 Councilman Gil Hernandez then tried to shift the conversation.
“I’d like to circle us back to groundwater.”
By the end of the meeting, there was no clear path forward — only more questions about where the project stands.
Zanoni said it could be weeks before the Texas Water Development Board responds. He added that council plans to revisit the issue once that letter arrives.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
