Dallas Area, Northeast Texans Split Over Reservoir in Water Plan
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Dallas area, northeast Texans split over reservoir in water plan By KELLEY SHANNON, Austin Bureau, Dallas Morning News, Published: 28 April 2013 11:18 PM AUSTIN — Shirley Shumake’s family has owned land near the Sulphur River in northeast Texas since the 1800s. She doesn’t take kindly to the prospect of losing property to create a lake to collect water for Dallas. “Our history runs deep,” she said. “We have pleaded. We have done everything.” Northeast Texas water planners declared opposition to the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir in their regional plan. Yet Dallas regional planners identified it as a future water source. “We’re having to reach out a hundred miles, 200 miles, 300 miles in our planning,” said Jim Parks, water planning group chairman for the fast-growing Dallas area, about 115 miles from the possible reservoir. The clash over Marvin Nichols underscores the difficulty of choosing which water projects to fund as lawmakers consider spending $2 billion on water project loan money. Legislation that the House is scheduled to debate Monday provides a framework for funding priorities but wouldn’t do more to resolve regional water disputes. “That’s something we’ll be looking at” in the future, said House Natural Resources Chairman Allan Ritter, R-Nederland. “Do we need more teeth in it? Probably so.” And as the population in Texas’ biggest metropolitan areas continues to grow, conflicts over such priorities may only increase as well. The Texas Water Development Board hasn’t settled the disagreement over Marvin Nichols, though legislation passed in 1997 says the board is supposed to help resolve “interregional conflicts.” Based on rules state water officials have established, they can declare a conflict only if more than one region is relying on a water source, said Carolyn Brittin, the water board’s deputy executive administrator. In the case of the two regions’ different views on Marvin Nichols, “we did not call it a conflict,” she said. But a lawsuit filed by northeast Texas landowners and the company Ward Timber may force the water board to step in. “Everybody’s waiting on the courts,” said Rick Lowerre, an Austin-based attorney for the plaintiffs, who have already won a round against the Texas Water Development Board in state district court. Depending on appeals court rulings, this sleeper case could put at least the Dallas part of the state water plan — and possibly the entire plan — on hold temporarily and stall state funding for it, Lowerre said. Ken Kramer, water resources chairman for the Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter, said if the plaintiffs ultimately win, probably only the Dallas area Region C water plan would be revisited. Water development board officials would not discuss the lawsuit’s potential impact. The Dallas area isn’t a party to the lawsuit. But if its water plan must be revised, Parks said, there are several alternatives for the region, where the population is expected to jump by 96 percent in 50 years, requiring an additional 1.5 million acre-feet of water per year. Northeast Texas landowner Richard LeTourneau, a lawsuit plaintiff, views the Marvin Nichols Reservoir proposed for Red River and Titus counties as a “land grab” by the water-hungry Dallas-Fort Worth region. “Just from a conservation point of view, I don’t think it’s right,” he said. Environmentalists say the approximately 70,000-acre Marvin Nichols Reservoir would overtake miles of river, including hardwood forest and wildlife habitat. “We shouldn’t sacrifice this amazing natural treasure of Texas,” said Luke Metzger, director of Environment Texas. Other options, such as conservation, are far cheaper and less destructive, he said. Marvin Nichols is projected to cost $3.4 billion. Kramer of the Sierra Club said he doubts whether Marvin Nichols will ever be constructed as water suppliers begin to realize the cost and evaporation of reservoirs make them less effective than other sources. The reservoir is seen as an option for around the years 2030-40, said Parks, who is also the executive director of the North Texas Municipal Water District. Twenty-two percent of the region’s plan is based on reservoirs outside of the area. “It’s not a huge component, but it is a critical component,” Parks said. Conservation and reuse combined account for about 25 percent of the regional plan. Rep. Eric Johnson, a Dallas Democrat who serves on the House Natural Resources Committee, said building the Marvin Nichols Reservoir remains a high priority for the area. But he’s also working with committee chairman Ritter to make water permitting and inter-basin transfers of water easier. “Generally,” he said, “a reservoir project is about the hardest thing you can do.” AT A GLANCE: Water projects The Dallas-Fort Worth water region, known as Region C, covers part or all of 16 counties. Its latest regional plan, contained in the state water plan, has some proposed short- and long-term water strategies. Marvin Nichols Reservoir, providing up to 472,300 acre-feet per year of water. Capital cost: $3.4 billion. (Opposed by Region D water group in northeast Texas.) Lake Tawakoni pipeline project, providing up to 77,994 acre-feet per year of water. Capital cost: $496 million. Toledo Bend Reservoir supply, providing up to 400,229 acre-feet per year of water. Capital cost: $2.4 billion. (Some cost-sharing with another region.) Reallocation of flood pool of Wright Patman Lake, providing 112,100 acre-feet per year of water. Capital cost: $897 million. SOURCE: Texas Water Development Board http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/headlines/20130428-dallas-area-northeast-texans- split-over-reservoir-in-state-water-plan.ece FAIR USE NOTICE This document contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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