Opposing arguments presented concerning Lake Ralph Hall
North Texas E-News
By Allen Rich

March 9 , 2005 - Around 200 people filled the South Annex in Bonham to hear two very different presentations concerning the proposed 11,200-acre Lake Ralph Hall at Tuesday night’s special meeting of the Fannin County Commissioners Court.

“We feel this lake isn’t needed,” the Flower Mound mayor stated in her opening remarks.  “Lake Ralph Hall is the most expensive option and, personally, I don’t feel like it’s worth it.”

Taylor said that under the current agreement with the City of Ladonia, Fannin County would receive five percent of the water taken daily from Lake Ralph Hall, approximately 1.5 million gallons, at no cost.  Upper Trinity would also be obligated by the contract to offer an additional five percent of the take to Fannin County at cost.  In all, the county could receive 2.9 million gallons per day, enough to supply water for 20,000 residents.

Still, there was plenty of opposition at the meeting.  Why flood 11,200 acres to prevent annual loss of around 100 acres to erosion?  Would the loss of tax revenue caused by turning farmland into a reservoir be a financial burden on the local school districts?  How much money is being set aside to compensate families for land that has been their livelihood for generations?  Are we displacing people in Fannin County because land is cheaper here?  Would Upper Trinity drain the lake during drought conditions?  And how does Upper Trinity feel about a utility district around Lake Ralph Hall?

“Some local people have asked us to look into a water district,” Taylor told the crowd, “but that would be your choice.  That is not our proposal.”

Land acquisition is years away, Taylor said in response to the touchy issue of land prices that brought many county residents to the commissioners court special meeting, but he estimated that between $15-$20 million had been set aside to purchase land to build the lake. 

If North Texas experiences a drought-of-record all of the lakes in the area will see drastically lower water levels, the engineer commented concerning the water district’s day-to-day operation of the proposed lake.  Taylor remarked that Lake Lewisville went down 50% early in this decade.

Taylor said he felt the loss of taxes the county would experience once farmland was submerged would be offset by increased property value around the lake.

“I don’t know of a county in Texas that has a lake it wants to get rid of,” Taylor stated.  “This should be good for Fannin County.  In addition to the 2.9 million gallons of water we would make available to you, it will bring jobs, particularly during construction.”

Taylor offered figures that indicated Lake Ralph Hall could be worth as much as $5.4 per year during the construction phase to Fannin County and then somewhere in the neighborhood of $3 million to the area once the reservoir is operational.  He admitted that there were other ways to slow erosion in the North Sulphur River basin, but Taylor asked if anyone else had actually stepped forward to invest in a solution to the problem.

"This is a cultural decision," the Flower Mound mayor told the packed crowd, indicating that backing major projects such as the proposed lake near Ladonia would also mean that Fannin County would have to begin dealing with adverse consequences that go along with growth.  Small, rural communities would need to adjust their infrastructure to accomodate new residents.  Schools would see an influx of students.

"If you build it, they will come," Mayor Smith warned.