Speaker
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Paul ChoulesCEO | Water Cycle LLCPaul Choules is CEO of Water Cycle LLC, an international desalination and water treatment consulting and advisory company. Mr. Choules started his desalination and water treatment career over 45 years ago. Since then, he has worked in the areas of project development, permitting, start-up, commissioning, project management, and operating of reverse osmosis and thermal desalination plants around the world with industrial, military and municipal clients.
Some Highlights of his Career Include:
· Installed a small seawater desalination plant at the Seaside Cemetery in Corpus Christi in 1984.
· Worked for Specific Equipment Co., MECO (lived and worked in Abu Dhabi for 10 years), Weir/ Veolia and Water Standard before starting Water Cycle, 2016.
· Managed regional offices in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Egypt, Brazil, and the US.
· Identified as one of desalination’s expert “Desalters” by Global Water Intelligence, August 2011.
· One of the founders, and past President, of the Caribbean Desalination Association, “CaribDA”, in 2008.
· Past President, current board member and one of the founders of the Texas Desalination Association, 2013.
Local Time
- Timezone: America/New_York
- Date: Sep 17 2026
- Time: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Seawater Desalination: Resilient Drought Proof Water Solutions for Corpus Christi and the Texas Gulf Coast
As Texas faces unprecedented growth and climate variability, traditional water sources are under stress. Seawater desalination has emerged as a critical “drought-proof” strategy, with the 2022 Texas Water Plan prioritizing the Corpus Christi region for the majority of the state’s future seawater supply.
This presentation moves beyond the theory of desalination to address the practical engineering and regulatory hurdles of implementing large-scale plants along the Texas Gulf Coast. We will analyze the “Big Four” challenges—power consumption, brine management, total cost of ownership, and water quality—within the context of the Coastal Bend’s unique ecosystem.
Key focus areas include:
• Siting & Environmental Strategy: Navigating TCEQ and EPA requirements for intake and discharge to protect sensitive bays and estuaries.
• Project Delivery Models: A comparative look at contracting mechanisms, including Design-Build-Operate (DBO) and Progressive Design-Build, and how they impact risk for Texas municipalities.
• Infrastructure Resiliency: Integrating desalination into existing regional grids to ensure long-term community water security.
Attendees will gain actionable insights into the site-selection process and the regulatory roadmap required to bring a desalination project from concept to operation on the Texas coast.
