Officials say it’s early. Opponents say it’s reckless. The stakes? Millions of gallons and Baffin Bay’s future.

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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A dusty cotton field in Driscoll could soon be the source of drinking water for Corpus Christi if a controversial plan moves forward as many fear.

The Seven Seas Water Group wants to pull up to 30 million gallons of brackish groundwater a day from beneath the field and convert it into freshwater. The City of Corpus Christi is eyeing a deal to buy most of that water through an agreement with the South Texas Water Authority. A vote on that matter could happen as early as September.

But while the city looks to solve its long-term water worries, a storm of environmental concerns is brewing over what comes next.

“We need to be concerned about the ratepayer. We need to be concerned with the environment. There’s a lot of questions that need to be answered,” said City Councilman Roland Barrera.

The biggest question: what to do with the waste.

The desalination process leaves behind a byproduct called brine. The Driscoll project could produce up to 10 million gallons of it each day. One proposed solution is to send that waste into the Baffin Bay system by way of Petronila Creek.

Captain Todd Wilson, a longtime local angler, is leading a wave of opposition.

“We do not want brine discharged into our bays on an experimental process that has no environmental studies behind it,” Wilson said. “They don’t have permits to do it yet. We don’t want an experiment in our bay systems and ruin our environment or our fisheries.”

Baffin Bay is known for being one of the most unique hypersaline ecosystems in the region and for producing monster-sized speckled trout prized by anglers across the state.

“We leave from right here in Corpus Christi all the time and we fish Baffin Bay. That is our number one spot to fish. It has the largest trout you will find anywhere,” Wilson said.

There is another option: injecting the waste deep underground through a well system. But no final decision has been made.

John Marez, CEO of the South Texas Water Authority, said the project is still in its early stages.

“We understand the community has concerns,” Marez said. “There’s not permitting because we are not at that point yet. We are asking a lot of the same questions that the community has shared.”

Still, opposition is growing louder, especially from those who fish and make a living on the water.

Captain Wilson said he’s not letting up.