CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — In public, an elected official promised Corpus Christi a drought solution with "ridiculously low" water rates. Behind closed doors, the city's water experts couldn't get straight answers about the most basic questions: How much would it cost? What's the quality of the water? When could it be delivered?

A two-hour recorded meeting at City Hall in August, obtained through a Texas Public Information Act request, captures the frustration of city officials trying to evaluate a groundwater desalination deal that could lock ratepayers into payments for decades.

The private discussion between Corpus Christi Water, South Texas Water Authority (STWA), and Seven Seas Water Group reveals a project full of uncertainty that contradicts public presentations.

"We're trying to do ou

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