The Bayshore Town Square community group, based in Galveston County, asked residents to join a public meeting at the Bacliff Volunteer Fire Department Thursday evening to discuss a proposed desalination plant near Galveston Bay.
"We encourage you to share this event and bring your friends and family so they understand what is happening in our community," the flyer, which wasposted on social media, states.
Canadian-based utility company,EPCOR Utilities Inc., is seeking a permit to build a desalination plant that would help with water security in the region. The plant would remove salt and minerals from seawater to produce 24.5 million gallons of drinking water a day to the region that's hometo nearly 8 million residents, according to theutility company.
EPCOR filed a discharge permit application withthe Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in October 2025, which is a required step for the state's approval to develop and operate the seawater desalination facility near the south shore of Galveston Bay.
Some nearby residents, though, have expressed concerns about the impact that discharge from the plant could have on marine life.
"Spent most of today meeting with Galveston Bay shrimpers and oystermen, the last of a breed. They [are] very concerned about the proposed desalination debacle and its impact on our Galveston Bay," one person commented on a community group Facebook post for those who reside in the Bacliff and San Leon areas.
EPCOR officials said their application to build the desalination plant included two independent environmental studies that examined the plant's effects on marine habitats near the intake and discharge channels, as well as the facility's effects bay-wide.
According to EPCOR, the first study found that the company's excess saltwater from the treatment process has little to no effect on waters within half a mile of entering the open bay. The second study found that the discharge's average salinity level falls within the optimal range for species such as fish, oysters, crab and shrimp to thrive.
"Understanding that Galveston Bay is a critical economic driver and popular area for recreation — especially sport fishing, EPCOR insisted on understanding and pre-mitigating potential impacts,” EPCOR officials said in the October 2025 news release. “These accommodations include minimizing intake flow velocity and screen size and reducing the salinity concentration of the discharge."
The plant would be located on the site of the now decommissioned PHR Peakers Plant, where a fire erupted in November 2025, just about 30 miles southeast of Houston. All five towers of the former power plant collapsed in the fire, according to previousHouston Public Mediareporting.
One month after the fire, Texas City officials said the investigation into what started the flames was ongoing, and a definitive cause has not been established. Texas City officials did not immediately respond to a request for an update on the investigation.
The proposed desalination plant in Texas City comes at a time when Corpus Christi grapples with alooming water emergencyafter the city spent several years discussing a potential desalination plant that the city scrapped after facing multiple roadblocks and criticism from opponents.
Thursday's town hallis a chance for residents around Galveston County to express concerns and ask questions.Event organizers noted that State Representative Terri Leo Wilson and EPCOR were invited to the meeting that's planned for 7-8 p.m., according to the social media post.
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