Aqualia, one of the world's leading operators in the full water cycle, has signed a strategic contract with the City of Corpus Christi, Texas, for the imminent commissioning of a desalination plant that will urgently reinforce the city's water security in the face of an unprecedented drought, as part of a public investment program of nearly $175 million.

The plan approved by the Corpus Christi City Council calls for the installation of a containerized brackish water desalination plant at the municipal O.N. Stevens facility, along with critical complementary infrastructure including pipelines, storage, pumping stations, and discharge systems. These systems are included in the Western Well Field, a water infrastructure project designed to diversify water supply sources and reduce the system's vulnerability to extreme scarcity events.

Aqualia will take responsibility for the design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and five-year operation of a Brackish Water Reverse Osmosis (BWRO) plant with a treatment capacity of approximately 24 million gallons per day (MGD) and a drinking water production capacity of up to 21 MGD, which will be integrated into the municipal system through the O.N. Stevens Water Treatment Plant.

Critical Infrastructure for Corpus Christi

The decision to advance this infrastructure comes at a particularly critical moment for Corpus Christi. Combined levels in the city's main reservoirs, Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon Reservoir, have declined significantly to approximately 9.5 percent of total capacity, prompting the activation of advanced water use restrictions and raising the risk of a formal water emergency declaration in the near term.

The project awarded to Aqualia will be developed on an accelerated schedule that will allow drinking water production to begin within the first year from the notice to proceed. Thanks to its modular, containerized design, the facility will be deployed in phases, combining rapidly deployable provisional units with the progressive construction of the permanent plant.

"Water resilience is becoming one of the great infrastructure challenges of this decade. Cities need solutions that combine speed of deployment, operational reliability, and a proven track record. That is precisely what Aqualia brings, the result of decades of work across multiple geographies and under widely varying water stress conditions."

Jose Miguel Janices, Director of Aqualia for Europe and the Americas

Modular Technology to Accelerate Commissioning

The plant is based on a standardized industrial architecture, with reverse osmosis systems housed in prefabricated, factory-tested containers, which significantly reduces execution timelines compared to a conventional facility.

In a first phase, portable provisional units will be installed with the capacity to generate approximately 4 MGD within 11 months from the contract start date. Capacity will then increase progressively until reaching the full 21 MGD production within 24 months.

In addition to its speed of deployment, the solution stands out for its energy efficiency, with a competitive specific consumption rate for brackish water treatment, and for its operational flexibility, a key characteristic in contexts of high hydrological variability and sustained demographic growth.

The contract also includes the comprehensive operation and maintenance of the plant for the first five years, during which Aqualia will manage the facility and deliver an intensive training program for Corpus Christi Water staff, ensuring an orderly and autonomous transition at the end of the contract period.

U.S. operations will be carried out through Municipal District Services (MDS), Aqualia's operating platform in Texas, which brings knowledge of the local regulatory environment, technical expertise, and a well-established track record in the management of municipal water and wastewater services.

A Strategic Milestone for Aqualia and for the City

For Aqualia, this contract reinforces its positioning in the North American market and consolidates its international leadership in the full water cycle, as well as in engineering and large-scale treatment facilities. For the City of Corpus Christi, the project represents a key milestone in its water planning, as it incorporates a supply source independent of weather conditions that protects both residents and a strategic economic fabric tied to the port, the energy industry, and urban growth.