Corpus Christi is fighting a drought and reservoirs are in decline. Combined storage at Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Corpus Christi has fallen below 10%. 

Texas Government Insider reports the city is working with the San Antonio-owned utility, CPS Energy, to evaluate whether the Barney Davis Power Plant (shown), an 897-megawatt natural gas facility acquired by CPS Energy in 2024, could be converted into a seawater desalination plant. The coastal site already draws water from the Laguna Madre for industrial use, and its existing intake infrastructure has long made it a leading candidate for desalination.  

That urgency is compounded by the region’s heavy industrial base, where petrochemical plants, refineries and port-dependent manufacturers rely on consistent water supplies to maintain operations. 

City officials say the project could produce between 50 million and 100 million gallons of water per day, though key questions remain about financing, brine disposal and potential environmental impacts on nearby waterways.