In April 2020, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported that the Corpus Christi City Council had cleared the way for seeking loans of USD 222 million from the Texas Water Development Board. Money from the SWIFT programme was to fund design and construction of the city's first seawater desalination plant in the port's Inner Harbor. Gil Hernandez alone voted no. According to city staff, two thirds of the loan was to be repaid from drought surcharges. A possible second site was under review at the LaQuinta Channel, San Patricio County.
The report showed how a Texas coastal city sought to finance its first seawater desalination plant through state water loans, while opponents questioned the burden on ratepayers and the benefit to industry.