Proposed Northeast Texas lake doesn't hinge on Tarrant lawsuit, official says

By BILL HANNA
billhanna@star-telegram.com

Even if the Tarrant Regional Water District prevails in its lawsuit to obtain water from Oklahoma, the Marvin Nichols reservoir will still be built, the chairman of the Region C water-planning group predicted Thursday.

The Tarrant water district has sued Oklahoma to strike down its moratorium on out-of-state water sales.

The case is scheduled for trial Dec. 7.

Jim Parks, who is also executive director of the North Texas Municipal Water District, said the outcome shouldn’t affect whether the reservoir is built.

"Northeast Texas is going to need water" whether the Metroplex pursues the reservoir or not, Parks said. "Where else are they going to get water?"

Dallas watching

Region C is the state-designated water-planning region for North Texas.

It combines 16 counties, including Tarrant and Dallas, in planning for expected water needs in 2060.

The North Texas population is projected to double over the next 50 years, with water demand growing from 17 million acre-feet (5.5 trillion gallons) in 2000 to 21.6 million acre-feet (7 trillion gallons) by 2060.

At the same time, supplies are expected to drop from 17.9 million acre-feet (5.8 trillion gallons) in 2010 to 14.6 million acre-feet (4.75 trillion gallons) by 2060.

The estimated cost of new water projects is $30.7 billion.

Marvin Nichols plans are on hold as North Texas pursues shorter-term options.

But the proposed reservoir along the Sulphur River is still listed as one of the possible long-term supplies for the Tarrant and the North Texas water districts.

The latter serves most of Collin County and many Dallas suburbs.

Marvin Nichols is not listed as a possible supply for Dallas Water Utilities, but that could change if Dallas is unable to build another East Texas reservoir, Lake Fastrill, which is now designated as a wildlife refuge by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

After a series of legal defeats, the city of Dallas and the Texas Water Development Board have appealed to the Supreme Court and expect a ruling this fall.

Jody Puckett, vice chairwoman of the Region C group and director of Dallas Water Utilities, said other alternatives, including Marvin Nichols, would have to be considered if Dallas is blocked from building Lake Fastrill.

In 2004, Dallas held off on becoming a partner in the Marvin Nichols project. Any change of plans would be decided by the City Council, Puckett said.

Four areas of supply

A commission made up of Region C and D members, the latter of which includes Northeast Texas, has been formed to study supply issues for both regions.

A discussion of Region C’s future needs was part of a media briefing Thursday to raise public awareness that the region’s water plan will be updated during the next year.

A draft of the updated plan will be completed by April 1, with a final plan due by Oct. 1. Public hearings will be held next summer.

Parks stressed that new reservoirs would account for only 20 percent of the region’s water supply by 2060.

To meet future water demands, Region C plans to concentrate on four areas: increasing conservation; focusing on reuse, such as the wetlands project recently completed at Richland-Chambers reservoir by the Tarrant water district; building new reservoirs such as Marvin Nichols or Lower Bois d’Arc Creek; and connecting to existing reservoirs such as Lake Palestine and possibly Toledo Bend in East Texas.

Wayne Owen, planning director for the Tarrant water district, said he is prepared to pursue East Texas options if the Oklahoma lawsuit fails. District officials hope to know within a year whether the Oklahoma option is viable.

"We will never give up on securing supply from Oklahoma because it makes so much economic sense," Owen said.