AWWA SOURCES59166

The City of Corpus Christi (City) currently provides water service to customers on North Padre Island, Port Aransas, and the Padre Island National Seashore through a single 24-inch subaqueous pipeline crossing the Laguna Madre near the JFK Causeway. Water demands in these service areas are expected to double, at minimum, over the next 20 years. The City has identified the need for an alternate supplemental water supply source to accomplish the objectives of improving existing water service, meeting projected demands, and improving overall system reliability, while maintaining cost-effectiveness. These objectives were to have been met by construction of a second subaqueous pipeline across the Laguna Madre. However, the environmental sensitivity of the Laguna Madre has led the City to consider whether other alternatives were available to meet its objectives. The goal of the Padre Island Desalination Plant (PIDP) Feasibility Analysis and Siting Plan is to answer that question. The PIDP Feasibility Analysis and Siting Plan is broad-based, and includes evaluation of: the character and sustainability of potential source waters, including two brackish groundwater aquifers and seawater from the Gulf of Mexico as reverse osmosis feed water; treatability of the three source water options by reverse osmosis (RO); RO byproduct disposal options, including ocean outfall, deep well injection, thermal distillation, evaporation ponds, and freeze concentration; six different facilities siting alternatives; alternative methods of groundwater extraction and well field siting options, with the objective of mitigating potential subsidence resulting from groundwater withdrawals; aquifer storage recovery (ASR) as a means to reduce capital expenditures; public issues and development of a public involvement plan; and, project delivery alternatives and potential funding sources. While economic evaluations were developed for a baseline 5.0 mgd project capacity, recommendations that included phased project implementation were developed. Based on the results of the study, the City of Corpus Christi is considering the role brackish water desalination may play in meeting its long-term water supply needs. As a next step, the City is considering implementation of a demonstration-level project that will include both brackish groundwater desalination and ASR. Includes tables, figures.

Product Details

Edition:

Vol. - No.

Published:

01/11/2004

Number of Pages:

19

File Size:

1 file , 1000 KB