Who would own the plant?

The final contract is not public yet. IDE Technologies plans to finance and build the plant, and the Nueces River Authority would develop the pipelines. The authority's 2025 plan said a private partner would run the plant and hand it back to the public after 30 years.

Could someone else build it cheaper?

Nobody has shown a proven, cheaper bid for Harbor Island. Corpus Christi dropped its own Inner Harbor plant after estimates of $1.2 billion with Kiewit and a $978.8 million price from a team that included Acciona and MasTec. A Houston company pitched $6.50 per 1,000 gallons in 2026, but it had no site yet.

A plain guide to one big water project

Harbor Island desalination, plain and simple

Q: What is the Harbor Island desal plant?

A planned plant on Port of Corpus Christi land on Harbor Island, near Port Aransas, that would turn Gulf seawater into fresh water. The Nueces River Authority says it would make up to 100 million gallons a day.

Q: Is Israel taking over Texas water?

No. IDE is a private company based in Israel, not the Israeli government. State law makes Gulf bay water state property, and TCEQ required a state water right to take it. That right was issued to the Port of Corpus Christi Authority, a Texas public body. IDE would be a contractor that builds, pays for and runs the plant and sells the water.

Q: Where do the permits stand?

TCEQ approved the offshore brine discharge permit on Sep 23, 2026. The state water right to take Gulf water, No. 13902, shows as issued on TCEQ's list of final actions. Both are held by the Port of Corpus Christi Authority.

A small state water agency wants to turn Gulf seawater into drinking water on Harbor Island, across the channel from Port Aransas. An Israeli company would build it and pay for it. Here is who is doing what, what it may cost, and where things stand, with a link for every fact.

Information as of Oct 30, 2026.

This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Deals like this change. Check the sources for the latest.

← Back to the Texas water fights

No. 1

What is the Harbor Island desal plant?

It is a planned seawater desalination plant on Port of Corpus Christi land on Harbor Island. The Port approved a 31-acre lease to the Nueces River Authority for the site. KRIS 6 NRA, Jul 2025
The plan is up to 100 million gallons of fresh water a day, built in phases. IDE, Jun 2026 Texas EDC
The river authority's board president has called it the largest plant of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. That is the backers' own description. Texas Tribune
Pipelines would carry the water inland to Corpus Christi and to towns in South and Central Texas. Inside Climate News
Texas has no working seawater desalination plant yet. Harbor Island is the largest of five planned. Inside Climate News

No. 2

Who is behind it?

Nueces River Authority (NRA). A small state water agency based in Uvalde. It can't levy a property tax, its yearly budget is up to about $5 million, and the governor appoints its 21 board members. Texas Tribune
IDE Technologies. On May 21, 2026, the NRA board voted unanimously to pick IDE and told staff to negotiate a first-phase development agreement. Texas EDC IDE
IDE says it has built more than 400 desalination plants in 40 countries. It used to be state-owned. Inside Climate News Today IDE says it is fully owned by Alfa Water Partners, a private partnership. IDE
Port of Corpus Christi Authority. It owns the land and holds the state permits (see No. 5). KRIS 6
Leadership is changing. Executive Director John Byrum retires Oct 31, 2026, and Deputy Director John Chisholm is set to serve as interim director. Texas Tribune

No. 3

Who would own it?

That isn't settled in public yet. Here is what's on the record.

IDE plans to finance and build the plant. The NRA would develop the pipelines. Inside Climate News
When the NRA leased the site in 2025, it said a private partner would design, build, finance and run the plant, then hand it back to the public after 30 years. NRA, Jul 2025
Inside Climate News reports the plant "wouldn't belong to the public" but to a private supplier. Inside Climate News
We haven't found a signed final contract that settles who owns the plant or for how long. Until one is public, take both versions as plans.

No. 4

What will it cost, and who pays?

The NRA's estimate is about $6.4 billion: roughly $3.2 billion for the plant and $3.2 billion for pipelines. KRIS 6
The authority expects IDE's cost estimate around November–December 2026. Corpus Christi's city manager expects the council to have a clearer picture by December or January, before the city decides whether to take part. KIII
Bidders were told seawater desal usually runs $10 to $15 per 1,000 gallons. That's a typical range, not this plant's price. Inside Climate News
Corpus Christi voted 5-3 on Oct 21, 2025 to pay the NRA $2.7 million to reserve 50 million gallons a day. KRIS 6 Caller-Times, Oct 2025
Cities and water districts have paid $4.1 million in reservation fees so far. The fees can't be refunded, don't count toward buying water, and aren't returned if the plant is never built. Texas Tribune
Customers with reservations will be asked to sign "take-or-pay" contracts, which means they pay for their share whether they use it or not. KRIS 6 Inside Climate News
The NRA has said it's aiming to deliver water to Corpus Christi in December 2029, and that timelines can slip. KRIS 6

No. 5

Where do the permits stand?

Taking water from the Gulf. The Port applied in 2023 for state Water Use Permit No. 13902, to divert up to 350,000 acre-feet a year from the Gulf. TCEQ TCEQ's list of final actions now shows it as issued. TCEQ final actions (FY2026 list)
Putting the brine back. On Sep 23, 2026, TCEQ approved the Port's permit to send the salty leftover water offshore into the Gulf, up to about 191 million gallons a day. KRIS 6 TCEQ
Done, the Port says. The Port and news reports said this completed the plant's permits. KRIS 6 Desalination News The pipelines inland may need their own approvals. We haven't confirmed which ones yet.

No. 6

Who owns the water in the Gulf?

The State of Texas does. State law says the water of every bay or arm of the Gulf of Mexico is the property of the state. Water Code §11.021
The law also says state waters are "held in trust for the public," and the right to use them comes only as the law allows. Water Code §11.0235
That's why taking it needs a TCEQ water right, the same as a river. TCEQ

No. 7

Is Israel taking over Texas water?

No. Here is the plain version.

IDE is a private company based in Israel. It is not the Israeli government. It was state-owned years ago. IDE Inside Climate News
State law makes Gulf bay water state property, and TCEQ required a state water right to take it. That right was issued to the Port, a Texas public body. Water Code TCEQ
IDE's role would be to build the plant, pay for it, run it and sell the water under contract. Inside Climate News
Other private companies are planning seawater plants in Texas too. IDE is also partnered on a planned 50 million gallon a day plant near Brownsville, and a Canadian company, EPCOR, plans one near Houston. Inside Climate News
The real question is the contract: how long it runs, what the water costs, and who carries the risk. See No. 8.

No. 8

What are the fair worries, and what do backers say?

Worries

Private borrowing costs nearly twice as much as public loans, and a water policy group says customers would end up paying for it. Inside Climate News
When a 20- or 30-year contract ends, towns may have to pay whatever price is set. Inside Climate News
A small agency is collecting one-time fees to keep going, and it's changing leaders. Texas Tribune
Some people who asked TCEQ for a hearing raised worries about brine, salt levels and harm to the coast. TCEQ

Backers' side

Regional planners say the area will need about double its water supply within a decade. The plant is meant to help fill that gap. Texas Tribune
IDE says it will "share the risk" and is "bringing funding to the table," including its own money for the first phase. KRIS 6, May 2026 Texas EDC
A Corpus Christi council member says private builders spend less on construction. IDE's Texas head says the developer takes the risk if costs run over. Inside Climate News
The intake and discharge were moved farther offshore after residents and environmental groups raised concerns. The new permit replaces the Port's 2022 nearshore permit. Desalination News

No. 9

Could someone else do it cheaper? Why IDE?

Short answer: nobody has shown a proven, cheaper bid for Harbor Island itself. Here is the history and both sides.

What happened with the city's own plant?

Corpus Christi asked for bids on its Inner Harbor plant in 2024. Kiewit, an American builder, won the design-build job. IDE asked for 45 more days to bid with an Israeli partner, and the city said no. Inside Climate News
In September 2025, the city stopped Kiewit's design work after the cost estimate reached $1.2 billion. ENR, Nov 2025
The city then turned to the second-ranked team, Corpus Christi Desal Partners, a group that includes Acciona and MasTec. City of Corpus Christi
That plan's preliminary guaranteed top price was $978.8 million. The council voted it down 5-3 on Sep 1, 2026. Texas Tribune

What about the $6.50 offer?

A Houston company, AXE H2O, pitched the city in May 2026 on water at $6.50 per 1,000 gallons, about 30% below the Inner Harbor plan. Texas Tribune, May 2026
That's a sales pitch, not a proven price. The plans were in early stages, and the company had no site yet. Texas Tribune, May 2026
Our note: these prices are hard to compare. The Inner Harbor numbers were build costs for a city-owned plant, while Harbor Island would sell water by the gallon and needs long pipelines too.

Why the NRA picked IDE

IDE has built more than 400 desal plants in 40 countries. Inside Climate News
IDE plans to build in phases to cut early risk, and it proposed paying more than $2 million of its own for the first phase. Texas EDC
Plant parts would be built and put together in phases, to get water flowing sooner. IDE
A city council member says cities pay two to three times as much as private companies to build things. Inside Climate News

What critics say

Private money costs nearly twice as much to borrow, and customers pay for that. Inside Climate News
Take-or-pay contracts mean paying whether you use the water or not, and the price after 20 or 30 years is uncertain. Inside Climate News
A former Houston water chief says water systems "should be owned by the community." Inside Climate News
The NRA ran short of money, and board members warned it could run out by the end of August. In late August 2026, at the governor's direction, the state water board approved a $7 million grant. Inside Climate News Texas Tribune
Byrum, who led the project, announced in September that he would retire, days before a board closed session on his job. Texas Tribune

Does Texas law bar a company from Israel?

No. The 2021 Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act bars deals that give access to water treatment plants and other critical systems to companies tied to China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or a country the governor designates. Israel isn't named. SB 2116, 2021

No. 10

Quick answers

Is this the same as the city's Inner Harbor plant?

No. That was Corpus Christi's own plant, and the city council voted against its contract again on Sep 1, 2026. Harbor Island is the river authority's project. Texas Tribune

Do I get my reservation fee back if it isn't built?

No. The fees can't be refunded and aren't returned if the plant is never built. Texas Tribune

When would water flow?

The NRA's target is December 2029 for Corpus Christi. It has said timelines can shift. KRIS 6

What would the water cost?

We don't know yet. The authority expects IDE's cost estimate around November–December 2026, and the city expects clarity by December or January. KIII

No. 11