The Ecosocialist Working Group’s goal is to protect the bay and inform our community about our region’s history of environmental racism. This working group also promotes environmental sustainability through the use of our public, community gardens.
The city has a history of putting profits before people. In the 1930s, as the port grew, previous white only neighborhoods were rezoned for African Americans and heavy industry. Black neighborhoods were treated as sacrifice zones. For decades many CC residents ignored the health and well being of the people living in fenceline communities along refinery row. Since then, industrial expansion has continued. More and more of our city has been turned into a sacrifice zone with Black and Brown communities being the most impacted by the city's allegiance to the port and heavy industries.
The city has a history of putting profits before people. In the 1930s, as the port grew, previous white only neighborhoods were rezoned for African Americans and heavy industry. Black neighborhoods were treated as sacrifice zones. For decades many CC residents ignored the health and well being of the people living in fenceline communities along refinery row. Since then, industrial expansion has continued. More and more of our city has been turned into a sacrifice zone with Black and Brown communities being the most impacted by the city's allegiance to the port and heavy industries.
Say #NODESAL in Corpus Christi
Possible Environmental Impacts of Desalination
Environmental effects during water intake:
If an intake screen structure is not properly designed, marine animals can inadvertently pass into these intake structures (entrainment) or be sucked into it if the uptake velocity is too high (impingement). This can cause increased death rates among marine life such as larger fish, marine mammals, sea turtles, or smaller organisms (McKinney 2019, Seawater Desalination Written Testimony before the House Committee on Natural Resources).
Environmental effects of energy use by desal plant:
Desalination plants are just another contributor to global climate change and would be yet another toxic neighbor to Corpus Christi citizens. In fact, a study in California showed that the process used to desalinate seawater (reverse osmosis) uses more energy than any other way to acquire freshwater (Cooley & Heberger 2013, Key issues for seawater desalination in California). Increased emissions in an area already ravaged by the dirty industry of Refinery Row is a major concern.
What is brine?
Brine is a cocktail of high salinity water, treatment chemicals, and heavy metals. This by-product of the desalination process is then dumped back into the bay after the freshwater is extracted. There are several concerns about how this brine dumping may affect the marine ecosystems it is dumped into (Panogopoulos et al. 2019, Desalination brine disposal methods and treatment technologies - A review).
The desalination industry has seriously underestimated the amount of brine being produced during the desal process. In fact, it’s over 50% greater than their estimates! The brine produced is enough to cover the state of Florida with a foot of brine every year (Root 2019, Desalination plants produce more waste brine than thought).
Environmental effects from brine dumping:
Increased salinity and the inflow of water pollutants can increase the chances for harmful algal blooms (HABs) to occur. Brown tide and red tide are two types of HABs that already occur in the Corpus Christi area. Brown tide is common here. Harmful effects of brown tide include blocking sunlight needed for marine plants to survive, which is important habitat for young marine animals. Red tide is currently increasing in the Corpus Christi area. The algae that causes red tide is toxic, so harmful effects can include breathing problems in humans, massive fish kills, and contaminated seafood. With brine dumping at the desalination site, an increase in HABs is a possible area of concern (Buskey et al. 1996, Current Status and Historical Trends of Brown Tide and Red Tide Phytoplankton Blooms in the Corpus Christi Bay National Estuary Program Study Area).
The high salinity brine dumped into the bay could increase the overall salinity of the ecosystem. Many marine animals are not tolerant to changes in salinity and will not be able to survive past a certain threshold. Increases in salinity from desalination plants have caused die offs of fish, coral reefs, and mangroves in different part of the world (Mabrook 1994, Environmental impact of waste brine disposal of desalination plants, Red Sea, Egypt; Raventos et al. 2006; Effect of brine discharge from a desalination plant on macrobenthic communities in the NW Mediterranean).
Brine also reduces oxygen in marine ecosystems. An area of the ocean without enough oxygen is called a “hypoxic zone.” These areas are often the cause of dead zones in the ocean. Dead zones are areas where marine life cannot survive in an area that would normally be teeming with life (https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/deadzone.html).
Brine isn’t only saltier water; it also contains a mix of pollutants and heavy from the desalination process. The dumping of these pollutants into our bay not only can have negative effects on the marine community, but on the water quality of the bay many enjoy recreationally.
Environmental effects during water intake:
If an intake screen structure is not properly designed, marine animals can inadvertently pass into these intake structures (entrainment) or be sucked into it if the uptake velocity is too high (impingement). This can cause increased death rates among marine life such as larger fish, marine mammals, sea turtles, or smaller organisms (McKinney 2019, Seawater Desalination Written Testimony before the House Committee on Natural Resources).
Environmental effects of energy use by desal plant:
Desalination plants are just another contributor to global climate change and would be yet another toxic neighbor to Corpus Christi citizens. In fact, a study in California showed that the process used to desalinate seawater (reverse osmosis) uses more energy than any other way to acquire freshwater (Cooley & Heberger 2013, Key issues for seawater desalination in California). Increased emissions in an area already ravaged by the dirty industry of Refinery Row is a major concern.
What is brine?
Brine is a cocktail of high salinity water, treatment chemicals, and heavy metals. This by-product of the desalination process is then dumped back into the bay after the freshwater is extracted. There are several concerns about how this brine dumping may affect the marine ecosystems it is dumped into (Panogopoulos et al. 2019, Desalination brine disposal methods and treatment technologies - A review).
The desalination industry has seriously underestimated the amount of brine being produced during the desal process. In fact, it’s over 50% greater than their estimates! The brine produced is enough to cover the state of Florida with a foot of brine every year (Root 2019, Desalination plants produce more waste brine than thought).
Environmental effects from brine dumping:
Increased salinity and the inflow of water pollutants can increase the chances for harmful algal blooms (HABs) to occur. Brown tide and red tide are two types of HABs that already occur in the Corpus Christi area. Brown tide is common here. Harmful effects of brown tide include blocking sunlight needed for marine plants to survive, which is important habitat for young marine animals. Red tide is currently increasing in the Corpus Christi area. The algae that causes red tide is toxic, so harmful effects can include breathing problems in humans, massive fish kills, and contaminated seafood. With brine dumping at the desalination site, an increase in HABs is a possible area of concern (Buskey et al. 1996, Current Status and Historical Trends of Brown Tide and Red Tide Phytoplankton Blooms in the Corpus Christi Bay National Estuary Program Study Area).
The high salinity brine dumped into the bay could increase the overall salinity of the ecosystem. Many marine animals are not tolerant to changes in salinity and will not be able to survive past a certain threshold. Increases in salinity from desalination plants have caused die offs of fish, coral reefs, and mangroves in different part of the world (Mabrook 1994, Environmental impact of waste brine disposal of desalination plants, Red Sea, Egypt; Raventos et al. 2006; Effect of brine discharge from a desalination plant on macrobenthic communities in the NW Mediterranean).
Brine also reduces oxygen in marine ecosystems. An area of the ocean without enough oxygen is called a “hypoxic zone.” These areas are often the cause of dead zones in the ocean. Dead zones are areas where marine life cannot survive in an area that would normally be teeming with life (https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/deadzone.html).
Brine isn’t only saltier water; it also contains a mix of pollutants and heavy from the desalination process. The dumping of these pollutants into our bay not only can have negative effects on the marine community, but on the water quality of the bay many enjoy recreationally.
