By 2050, the Lower Rio Grande Valley will need 184,000 acre-feet of NEW water supplies to satisfy growing demands by residents, businesses, and industry.
The overappropriated Rio Grande cannot meet these demands.
Seawater from the Gulf of Mexico can.
Tests of the seawater solution are underway. A pilot plant on the Brownsville Ship Channel is now collecting and analyzing site-specific data to determine best methods and costs to turn seawater into drinking water. Final results are expected in fall 2007. The pilot plant is building on a feasibility analysis (30mb .pdf, twdb.state.tx.us) conducted in 2004.
Results of the pilot will be used to support the design, funding and construction of a large-scale seawater desalination plant capable of producing 25 million gallons per day (MGD) of water for municipal and industrial use in the region. Start-up is anticipated for 2010.
Partners in the pilot project are the Brownsville Public Utilities Board, Texas Water Development Board, and the Port of Brownsville. Engineering and construction services are provided by NRS Consulting Engineers.
