Preserve Northeast Texas, Author at Stop Marvin Nichols

Texans Urged to Speak Out Against Marvin Nichols Reservoir: Deadline for Input December 1st

By Jeff Easterling

Texarkana FYI, November 28, 2023

In a significant development in the prolonged battle over the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir in Northeast Texas, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is opening the floor for public input regarding the controversial water project. The deadline is Friday, December 1.

The TWDB is currently conducting a feasibility review, as per the request of State Representative Gary VanDeaver, who championed the cause through House Bill 1 earlier this year.

Representative VanDeaver emphasized the importance of rural voices in the decision-making process, stating, “People in my District deserve the right to be heard by state leaders. Too often rural Texans are left behind while the spotlight shines on the needs of our large urban neighbors.”

To facilitate public participation, the TWDB has established a window for input from now until December 1, 2023. The call for submissions invites Texans to share their perspectives on critical aspects of the proposed reservoir, including the implementation timeline, associated costs, land acquisition considerations, and the economic impact.

In a bid to streamline the input process, Preserve Northeast Texas has created an online form accessible at https://bit.ly/NoMarvinNichols. This platform allows concerned citizens to convey their thoughts directly to the TWDB.

The Marvin Nichols Reservoir, a subject of discussion for decades, has faced opposition from those who view it as an unnecessary and outdated solution to current water challenges. The reservoir has been criticized for potentially being the largest planned land-grab in recent Texas history.

Preserve Northeast Texas, led by a dedicated Steering Committee, encourages residents and supporting Texans to engage in the campaign against Marvin Nichols. The committee, which includes figures such as Cass County Judge Travis Ransom, Bill Ward, and Linda Price, invites the public to subscribe to their newsletter for updates.

To contribute to the feasibility review, individuals can address key topics, including the implementation timeline, associated costs, land acquisition considerations, and economic impact, by December 1, 2023.

For more information on the campaign and to stay informed, visit www.PreserveNortheastTexas.org. This is a crucial opportunity for concerned citizens to make their voices heard and shape the future of the Marvin Nichols Reservoir project.

Morris County Joins Opposition to Controversial Marvin Nichols Reservoir

East Texas Radio, November 13, 2023

Northeast Texas (November 13, 2023) — Morris County Commissioners have unanimously passed a resolution opposing the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir. Morris joins Red River and Cass counties in formalizing their opposition to the project, which has been discussed for decades but has moved closer to development in recent years.

“Marvin Nichols would take more than 200,000 acres of private land out of the hands of hardworking Texans,” said Jim Thompson, a Preserve Northeast Texas Steering Committee member. “This reservoir would rob Northeast Texans of land, valuable jobs, and precious water resources, devastating our region’s economy and especially our timber industry, the region’s leading economic driver. I am so proud to see the growing opposition by our local elected officials to this outdated, unnecessary project. I am grateful to Morris County for sending a strong message of opposition to Marvin Nichols.”

This opposition comes as the Texas Water Development Board conducts a feasibility review of Marvin Nichols. The Texas Legislature has required the Board to review the reservoir in what some view as a step toward ending the project. Texans can weigh in on Marvin Nichols through December 1, 2023, by visiting https://bit.ly/NoMarvinNichols.

The proposed reservoir would be on the main stem of the Sulphur River. It would flood over 66,000 acres of heritage farmland, hardwood forest, and wetlands in Northeast Texas to pipe water 150 miles to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. An additional Marvin Nichols would take 130,000 acres from private ownership to mitigate wildlife habitat losses created by the reservoir. It would force thousands of Texans to sell their lands, some of which have been in their families since the 1800s.

Rather than looking into viable solutions through conservation efforts and existing reservoirs, North Texas water planners proposed the lake to meet their projected water demands. The target date for completion has recently been moved forward in the State Water Plan from 2070 to 2050 at a projected cost of at least $4.4 billion.

To learn more about the proposed water project, visit PreserveNortheastTexas.org. The organization’s website offers downloadable information for advocates and tips on how others can get involved to oppose the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir.

Press Release: MORRIS COUNTY JOINS GROWING OPPOSITION TO CONTROVERSIAL MARVIN NICHOLS RESERVOIR

NORTHEAST TEXAS (November 13, 2023) — Morris County Commissioners have unanimously passed a resolution opposing the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir. Morris joins both Red River and Cass counties in formalizing their opposition to the project, which has been discussed for decades but has moved closer to development in recent years.

“Marvin Nichols would take more than 200,000 acres of private land out of the hands of hardworking Texans,” said Jim Thompson, a member of the Preserve Northeast Texas Steering Committee. “This reservoir would rob Northeast Texans of land, valuable jobs, and precious water resources, devastating our region’s economy and especially our timber industry, the region’s leading economic driver. I am so proud to see the growing opposition by our local elected officials to this outdated, unnecessary project and am grateful to Morris County for sending a strong message of opposition to Marvin Nichols.”

This opposition comes as the Texas Water Development Board is conducting a feasibility review of Marvin Nichols. The Texas Legislature has required the Board to review the reservoir in what some view as a step toward ending the project. Texans can weigh in on Marvin Nichols through December 1, 2023, by visiting: https://bit.ly/NoMarvinNichols

The proposed reservoir would be located on the main stem of the Sulphur River and would flood more than 66,000 acres of heritage farmland, hardwood forest and wetlands in Northeast Texas to pipe water 150 miles to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. An additional 130,000 acres would be taken from private ownership to mitigate wildlife habitat losses created by the reservoir. Thousands of Texans will be forced to sell their lands, some of which has been in their families since the 1800s.

Rather than look into viable solutions through conservation efforts and existing reservoirs, North Texas water planners chose to propose the reservoir to meet their projected water demands. The target date for completion has recently been moved forward in the State Water Plan from 2070 to 2050 at a projected cost of at least $4.4 billion.

To learn more about the proposed water project, visit PreserveNortheastTexas.org. The organization’s website offers downloadable information for advocates, in addition to tips on how others can get involved to oppose the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir.

DFW wants controversial reservoir. Northeast Texans hope new study will build opposition

By Haley Samsel

Fort Worth Report, November 12, 2023

J. Kevin Ward expected a bigger crowd.

As the longtime chair of Dallas-Fort Worth’s regional water planning group, Ward has been in rooms with hundreds of northeast Texans upset over the group’s proposal to flood 66,000 acres of hardwood forest for a massive new reservoir along the Sulphur River.

He recalls breaking bread with a few opponents, sitting down to explain why North Texas water planners believe the controversial Marvin Nichols reservoir is necessary to create enough water supply for the region’s explosive population growth.

Marvin Nichols was on the agenda at a Nov. 6 water planning meeting in Arlington, but opportunities for public comment came and went.

“I’d have thought we’d have a more robust discussion,” Ward, general manager of the Trinity River Authority, said. “I don’t know in the long run how this will work for them, if it will ever get built. That’s going to be up to a lot of factors going forward. We don’t even know if we’re going to have it in the (future) water plan yet.”

Widespread opposition to the reservoir stems from concern over residents being forced to sell their land to the state through an eminent domain process and the impact on the region’s timber industry.

Thanks to a study ordered by the Texas Legislature, the decades-long debate over the reservoir’s potential to permanently alter the face of northeast Texas is entering its next chapter.

The Texas Water Development Board will analyze the feasibility of Marvin Nichols by examining the project’s timeline, associated costs, land acquisition considerations and economic impact on the region. Officials estimate the reservoir would cost $4.4 billion to build.

“We consider this feasibility review to be an important step,” said Janice Bezanson, senior policy director for the environmental advocacy group Texas Conservation Alliance. “This really matters in terms of building that understanding that this is not the way to go, and we need to be figuring out the best way to go without considering taking this much land out of production and taking this much land away from the current owners.”

The water development board will deliver a report to the Legislature and Gov. Greg Abbott by Jan. 5, 2025, the beginning of that year’s legislative session. The agency will accept “meaningful input” from residents, along with supporting documentation, through Dec. 1, 2023.

Opponents of Marvin Nichols hope this will draw more attention and legislative opposition to the reservoir, first introduced in the 1960s. Dallas-Fort Worth’s 2021 water plan sets a 2050 completion date for the project, while the northeast planning group recommends against building it before exploring other strategies, including alternate water supply options and water conservation measures.

Because federal permits often take decades to obtain, local project sponsors — including the Tarrant Regional Water District — must start the process over the next few years to bring the reservoir online by 2050.

In addition to the 66,000 acres for the reservoir, the state would have to acquire at least 130,000 more acres to mitigate the loss of wildlife habitat and meet federal requirements.

Bezanson said there’s still time to prevent that outcome. She serves on the steering committee of Preserve Northeast Texas, an opposition campaign formed in 2021.

The average Dallas-Fort Worth resident doesn’t understand how heavily the prospect of Marvin Nichols weighs on landowners near Mount Pleasant, Bezanson said. North Texans turn on their faucet, water comes out, and they have no reason to ask how.

“But the people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are not going to want to cause these impacts if there’s any other way to do it,” she said. “You’re taking people’s homes and you’re destroying an entire river watershed to water lawns in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. And there are better ways to do that.”

Bezanson’s organization wants planners to explore storing more water underground, creating more opportunities for water reuse and making a stronger push for water conservation in North Texas.

However, Ward’s position has stayed the same: His region requires another reservoir to sustain rapid population growth, and Marvin Nichols is the best opportunity to meet that need.

The latest feasibility study won’t resolve differences between the two regions, Ward said. At their Nov. 6 meeting, Dallas-Fort Worth water planners voted to send their previous studies on Marvin Nichols, including its economic impact, cost and timeline, to the Texas Water Development Board.

They asked the state to consider the negative economic impact of failing to meet water needs in North Texas. Some Marvin Nichols supporters also point to economic development opportunities stemming from the creation of waterfront property and new recreation attractions.

Ward also awaits a decision from the three local sponsors — the Tarrant Regional Water District, the Upper Trinity Regional Water District and North Texas Municipal Water District — on whether they want to continue pursuing Marvin Nichols.

Those agencies are reviewing data on the baseline amount of water that the reservoir will produce and if that yield will be worth the cost of moving forward. Ward expects a decision by next spring.

“That’s why we haven’t engaged in any coordination with us and the other regions, because I don’t want to get engaged in any coordination on something that may never occur,” Ward said. “I don’t know what these folks want to do yet. They haven’t decided, so we’re just waiting.”

In the meantime, Bezanson wants to keep Marvin Nichols front of mind for legislators and the general public. While property owners in the reservoir area would be paid for their land, northeast Texans never want to see that prospect become a reality, she said.

“It reaches into every aspect of society to do a project this massive,” Bezanson said. “How do you compensate someone for having the home they grew up in destroyed and being forced to move out of it? How do you compensate somebody for the fact that the cemetery where their grandparents are buried is now under water? There’s no compensating for that.”

Haley Samsel is the environmental reporter for the Fort Worth Report. You can reach them at haley.samsel@fortworthreport.org.

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

Texas is taking my land to build an unnecessary lake

By Deborah Clark

Dallas Morning News, October 20, 2023

Texas is a proud private-property state. Ownership and stewardship of land are lauded, celebrated and written into our state’s storied history. But what if the government was taking your land and there was nothing you could do about it? What if you were threatened with having the prairie, cattle and wildlife that shape your environment and provide your livelihood taken away?

For nearly a decade I’ve been fighting an uphill battle to keep my ranch from being taken by the government and drowned. I’ve fought alongside my fellow ranchers and neighbors whose property is being threatened by the government’s use of eminent domain.

In a few short weeks an administrative judge will make a recommendation which may ultimately decide whether we get to keep our land. We’re participating in a contested case we brought against water developers and the city of Wichita Falls who claim to need a reservoir — dubbed Lake Ringgold —that would permanently flood some 16,000 acres of productive agricultural land and take a total of as many as 40,000 acres out of production in our region, according to Texas Water Development Board planning documents.

Wichita Falls doesn’t need Lake Ringgold. Its current water supplies are adequate to meet demands for at least the next 50 years. And Wichita Falls is not growing. It was the only one of Texas’ 10 biggest metro areas that lost population in the last census. The Texas Demographic Center projects its population will continue to decline.

During the hearing we were told the impact on landowners is not relevant in a contested case hearing and is not considered in a feasibility study. But the negative impact on our properties and community is at the very heart of this debate.

If building a reservoir came with no negative impact, it wouldn’t matter if Wichita Falls built an unnecessary reservoir. But the people of Wichita Falls and surrounding communities will face a $442 million price tag for Lake Ringgold. The tremendous negative economic, social, and environmental impact will be devastating and irreversible to our entire region.

I believe all of us — urban and rural community members — share the same goal of a vibrant, thriving Texas and Texoma region. But building a reservoir we don’t need doesn’t help anyone.

Wichita Falls has been a pioneer in water reuse. During the 2011-15 drought, it made headlines and won an award for its efforts to cope with the drought and prepare for future times — like now — that are hotter and drier. But today the city claims it is a hardship for residents to limit lawn watering to just twice a week.

When a project that is unnecessary, environmentally damaging and would cost nearly half a billion dollars is proposed, you have to look at who stands to gain if the reservoir goes forward. The city has said no engineering company has been contracted for this project. But one company has been pushing it since the 1950s: Freese and Nichols. They produce studies that say this reservoir is necessary. Estimates like these inflate the city’s water demand figures and undercount its supply by excluding 20% of existing reservoir water from available resources. That’s two years’ worth.

Freese and Nichols testified as experts for the city in the hearing, claiming that landowners would be adequately compensated by the reservoir. But what, pray tell, is adequate compensation for five generations on the land?

Lake Ringgold would forever drown homes, ranches, cemeteries, historic structures, archaeological sites, most of the remaining woodlands left in Clay County and 165 miles of river and creeks. It would force more than 25 Texas ranching families like mine to sell all or part of the land that provides their livelihoods and their homes.

It is easy to ignore arduous administrative proceedings like the ones my neighbors and I are going through. A reservoir miles away from your home probably doesn’t feel like something to be concerned about.

But what if it were your land?

Deborah Clark is a cattle rancher and co-owner of Birdwell & Clark Ranch in Clay County, Texas. She wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.

State-ordered feasibility review of Marvin Nichols prompts urgent comment period

By News Staff

Mount Pleasant Tribune, October 24, 2023

NORTHEAST TEXAS —A new development in the decades-long fight over a proposed reservoir in Northeast Texas is offering Texans a chance to speak out in defense of private property and against the use of eminent domain for an unnecessary, outdated water project. The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is conducting a feasibility review of the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir. This comes after State Representative Gary VanDeaver requested the review as part of House Bill 1, which passed the Legislature earlier this year.

“People in my District deserve the right to be heard by state leaders,” said VanDeaver. “Too often rural Texans are left behind while the spotlight shines on the needs of our large urban neighbors. I fought for the Legislature to include this important review, and I hope everyone will speak out about how the timeline, cost and economic impact of Marvin Nichols would impact them and our overall community.”

To gather material for the review, the TWDB has provided a window of opportunity from now until December 1, 2023. The TWDB requests submission of meaningful input and information. This is an important time for those opposing the reservoir to make their voice heard – and to do so quickly. To aid in this effort, Preserve Northeast Texas has created a simple online form that will help you share your message directly with TWDB. You can find the link at: https://bit.ly/NoMarvinNichols

Those submitting information to be considered in the feasibility review may provide input on the following topics by December 1, 2023:

1. Implementation timeline

2. Associated costs

3. Land acquisition considerations

4. Economic impact

While the Marvin Nichols Reservoir has been under discussion for decades, opponents have thus far been able to successfully push back against the largest planned land-grab in recent Texas history. This is a chance to let water planners know why Marvin Nichols is an outdated solution to our modern water challenges and to hear the stories of what will be lost if the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir is allowed to be built.

About Preserve Northeast Texas: The Preserve Northeast Texas Steering Committee includes: Cass County Judge Travis Ransom, Bill Ward, Jim Thompson, Max Shumake, Shirley Shumake, Linda Price, Richard LeTourneau, Cynthia Gwinn, Gary Cheatwood, and Janice Bezanson.Residents of Northeast Texas as well as supporting Texans are invited to join the campaign and subscribe to the newsletter.

Learn more about Preserve Northeast Texas: Stop Marvin Nichols online at www.PreserveNortheastTexas.org, and follow the campaign on Facebook and Instagram at @PreserveNortheastTexas and Twitter (X) @NoMarvinNichols.

What’s your opinion on the Marvin Nichols Reservoir? Texas takes public comment

By Eleanor Dearman

Yahoo News, October 19, 2023

The state is taking public comment on the Marvin Nichols Reservoir project after a legislative win for opponents of the proposed 66,000-acre impoundment in northeast Texas that would provide water to the Metroplex.

The project along the Sulphur River would flood thousands of acres of bottomland hardwood forest in Cuthand. It was given a feasibility study in Texas’ latest budget. As part of the study, the Texas Water Development Board is taking public comment through Dec. 1.

The study came after pushback from advocates with Preserve Northeast Texas and gives those with concerns about the project time to make their opinion known. The review is looking at the project’s timeline, costs, land acquisition and economic impact, and the board is seeking comments on those subjects.

“People in my District deserve the right to be heard by state leaders,” said Rep. Gary Vandeaver, a New Boston Republican, in a statement “Too often rural Texans are left behind while the spotlight shines on the needs of our large urban neighbors. I fought for the Legislature to include this important review, and I hope everyone will speak out about how the timeline, cost and economic impact of Marvin Nichols would impact them and our overall community.”

The statement was sent in a Thursday news release from Preserve Northeast Texas.

Supporters say the project is needed to help address North Texas’ water needs as its population booms.

Comments can be emailed to feasibility@twdb.texas.gov.

The report will be submitted to Gov. Greg Abbott and the Legislative Budget Board by Jan. 5, 2025.

What’s your opinion on the Marvin Nichols Reservoir? Texas takes public comment

By Eleanor Dearman

Fort Worth Star Telegram, October 19, 2023

The statement was sent in a Thursday news release from Preserve Northeast Texas.

Supporters say the project is needed to help address North Texas’ water needs as its population booms.

Comments can be emailed to feasibility@twdb.texas.gov.

The report will be submitted to Gov. Greg Abbott and the Legislative Budget Board by Jan. 5, 2025.

Public comment period begins for Marvin Nichols Reservoir project

By Sam Shaw

Longview News-Journal, October 24, 2023

Until Dec. 1, members of the public will have an opportunity to weigh in on the Marvin Nichols reservoir project via emailed statements.

The proposed reservoir, which would be located on the main stem of the Sulphur River in Red River and Titus counties, is part of a controversial, decades-long struggle to secure water supplies for Dallas-Fortworth residents into the next century.

The Texas Water Development Board is seeking input on the following topics: Implementation timeline, associated costs, land acquisition considerations and economic impact.

Comments will be included in a feasibility review of the project set to be presented to the Legislative Budget Board and the governor by Jan. 5, 2025.

The reservoir is projected to cost over four billion dollars and requires flooding to approximately 100 square miles of farms, hardwood forests, timber plantations and the forced relocation of area families.

Leading efforts to realize the reservoir are water planners at Region C of the Texas Water Development Board. There are 16 water planning regions in Texas and Region C includes the Dallas-Fortworth area.

“The future of our region will be defined by the availability of water,” read a pro-reservoir op-ed published in The Dallas Morning News and posted on the Region C website in 2022.

“The fifth water plan was adopted by the Texas Water Development Board last July,” the article stated. “Those who oppose this plan are ignoring the warning signs. North Texas needs another major reservoir.”

According to Region C’s 2021 water plan, acute water shortages are predicted for Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant Counties by 2070, without the development of additional supplies.

Opponents of the reservoir disagree with Region C planners that the massive lake is necessary to provide regional water security and believe its construction will cause lasting harm to communities, industries and habitats the reservoir would submerge.

“People’s homes will be destroyed, family cemeteries and land that people have worked for generations will be inundated,” said Janice Bezanson, senior policy director at the Texas Conservation Alliance.

“They’ll be forced to sell. Or the land will be condemned if they don’t,” Bezanson said.

In order to maintain compliance with the federal Clean Water Act, an additional 200 square miles of land would be requisitioned to offset the effects of the reservoir’s habitat destruction, according to Bezanson, who estimates over a thousand families would be displaced if the project went through.

Opponents also question why the water security approach rests on new reservoirs and not on conservation strategies like those employed in arid western states.

According to Preserve Northeast Texas, a nonprofit organization organized to oppose Marvin Nichols, “80% of the water from the reservoir would be piped to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to water lawns and fill private swimming pools, rather than being available for local use.”

Dallas-Fortworth homes consume nearly triple the amount of water per day compared to households in Denver, Colorado.

State Representative Gary VanDeaver, who represents District 1 where the reservoir is planned, focussed attention on the dispossession of private landowners that would accompany Marvin Nichols.

VanDeaver’s called the reservoir project, “one of the most expensive public works projects and one of the largest land grabs by eminent domain in Texas history.”

VanDeaver’s push to slow the project and give constituents a say led to the feasibility review becoming part of the reservoir’s approval process.

“People in my District deserve the right to be heard by state leaders,” said VanDeaver.

“I fought for the Legislature to include this important review, and I hope everyone will speak out about how the timeline, cost and economic impact of Marvin Nichols would impact them and our overall community.”

Public comments should be emailed to the following address: feasibility@twdb.texas.gov.

Press Release: STATE-ORDERED FEASIBILITY REVIEW OF MARVIN NICHOLS PROMPTS URGENT COMMENT PERIOD

Those submitting information to be considered in the feasibility review may provide input on the following topics by December 1, 2023:

Implementation timeline
Associated costs
Land acquisition considerations
Economic impact

While the Marvin Nichols Reservoir has been under discussion for decades, opponents have thus far been able to successfully push back against the largest planned land-grab in recent Texas history. This is a chance to let water planners know why Marvin Nichols is an outdated solution to our modern water challenges and to hear the stories of what wil be lost if the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir is allowed to be built.

About Preserve Northeast Texas: The Preserve Northeast Texas Steering Committee includes: Cass County Judge Travis Ransom, Bill Ward, Jim Thompson, Max Shumake, Shirley Shumake, Linda Price, Richard LeTourneau, Cynthia Gwinn, Gary Cheatwood, and Janice Bezanson. Residents of Northeast Texas as well as supporting Texans are invited to join the campaign and subscribe to the newsletter.

The future water needs of Northeast Texas discussed at recent meeting

“Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting wars”

July 26, 2023

Northeast Texas business owner and activist Chris Spencer spoke to a full house last week at a meeting of the East Texas Republican Women, held in Atlanta. Spencer is a Morris County native, graduating from Hughes Springs High. He was appointed as the Chairman of the Sulphur River Basin Authority in 2018 by Governor Abbott.

Spencer spoke in his roles as chairman of the Sulphur River Basin Authority and told the ladies gathered there of the role of the SRBA to manage the conservation of the State’s natural resources within the Sulphur River Basin.

Spencer went into detail of the water rights of Northeast Texans and noted that though the water in the basin belongs to the State of Texas, he and the SRBA act as fiduciary agents for those resources….

Spencer also spoke about the controversies surrounding the SRBA over the last 20 years, and his hope that those controversies have begun to subside in recent years. He noted that a lot of that controversy has been centered on the water rights of the Northeast Texans, specifically the efforts of those in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to develop the Marvin Nichols Reservoir. As part of that conversation, Spencer said, “Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting wars.”…

Read more online via the Bowie County Citizens Tribune: https://www.bowiecountynow.com/news/future-water-needs-northeast-texas-discussed-recent-meeting

Study of Marvin Nichols Reservoir May Lead to Victory for Opponents

By Jason Vaughn

Dallas Observer, June 28, 2023

Opponents of the Marvin Nichols Reservoir were looking to have it removed from the state’s water plan this legislative session. That didn’t happen, but the reservoir foes walked away with a small win when, earlier this month, Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 1, approving the state’s budget. It includes a feasibility study of a reservoir that’s meant to serve Dallas-Fort Worth’s future water needs.

Janice Bezanson, senior policy director for the Texas Conservation Alliance, an advocacy group focused on preserving wildlife, said the study won’t likely end the Marvin Nichols Reservoir, but it could be a helpful nail in the coffin. She and others have been trying to kill this reservoir for decades. They say the reservoir would devastate local economies, schools and wildlife in Northeast Texas, all issues that could be considered in the feasibility study.

The state budget says the study should look into the timeline, associated costs, land acquisitions and the economic impact of the reservoir.

The Marvin Nichols Reservoir would flood at least 65,000 acres of land across Red River and Titus counties, about 135 miles northeast of Dallas. Federal law requires that additional land — known as mitigation — be set aside for wildlife disrupted by the reservoir. No one has offered an exact number, but the estimate is that another 130,000 acres will be taken for mitigation.

WIth DFW’s population headed toward around 14.7 million by 2070, proponents of the reservoir say it will be needed to serve the growing population.

Some Northeast Texans, however, say there are other ways to meet these water needs that should be considered. They say there’s more to be done with conservation of DFW water, water reuse and techniques like desalination that could help meet the demand.

Aside from all of that, though, Bezanson and others say it just doesn’t make sense to build a reservoir that would cause so much destruction to Northeast Texas. This is what she and others hope the feasibility study will show.

The footprint of the reservoir is largely in State Rep. Gary VanDeaver’s district. He initially wanted the study to be added to the Texas Water Development Board sunset bill but it didn’t make the cut. Instead, he was able to get it added to the state’s budget. The study will have to be finished by January 5, 2025, the start of the next legislative session. The findings will be sent to the governor and to the legislative budget board.

“Roughly 66,000 acres of private land would be used to build this reservoir, but at least an additional 130,000 acres of land [would be] taken out of production and out of private hands,” VanDeaver said in April. “This would make the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir one of the most expensive public works projects and one of the largest land grabs by eminent domain in Texas history.”

Bezanson said she and others will be providing their input as part of the study. “This isn’t definitive. This isn’t what’s going to ultimately decide this,” she said. “But it’s an important step because it’s an opportunity to shed light on some of the impacts and negative aspects of this reservoir that haven’t gotten the official attention it needs to make an informed decision.”

In the meantime, she said opponents of the reservoir will continue advocating for water conservation, particularly in the area of lawn watering.

For water planning, the state is divided into 16 regions. Every five years, these 16 regions submit water plans to the state. North Texas is in Region C, and Northeast Texas is in Region D. These regional plans help determine the state’s overall water plan. According to The Dallas Morning News, outdoor water use makes up 35% of the state’s total single-family outdoor water use.

“We wind up in a situation where we’re taking people’s productive land and livelihoods and homes away from them so people can water their lawns in the Dallas-Fort Worth area,” Bezanson said. “That’s something we hope will come out in the study.”

She said she wants DFW to have the water it needs but wants the region to use the water efficiently and choose options that have lower impact than building a new reservoir.

Jim Marshall, a children’s physician at the Cooks Children Medical Center in Fort Worth, owns a cattle ranch in Cuthand, Texas, an area the reservoir would cover. He said the future looks bright now that the state will be taking another look at the reservoir. “It appears to me that the entire project is going to have to be looked at with a modern eye,” Marshall said.

He thinks this study will take a more critical look at the potential displacement of people and disruptions to local economies the reservoir could cause. “I think it’s a very, very good step in the right direction,” he said.

“One way or the other, people need water,” Marshall said. “I think if we sit back and reconsider a shallow, destructive lake in light of other things we could do like take it from lakes that exist and desalination and purchasing water from other states, which is another consideration, we might find just a better way to suit everybody’s needs, just like a family sitting around talking through some planning or problem they have. So I think this is a real step forward for everybody in Texas.”

Originally posted on the Dallas Observer.