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State water leaders will now have to decide whether the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir, designed to be built in northeast Texas and pump water more than 100 miles back to Dallas-Fort Worth, is an interregional conflict — potentially causing water plans to be altered.

On Tuesday, Region D Water Planning Group chairman Jim Thompson penned a letter officially asking the Texas Water Development Board to declare the inclusion of the reservoir as a conflict and resolve it.

The inclusion of the Marvin Nichols Reservoir in the plan has already garnered some attention. The Region D Water Planning Group recently declared a conflict over a manmade lake that would be built in northeast Texas, and pump water more than 100 miles back to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Dan Buhman, Region C chairman and general manager of the Tarrant Regional Water District, said input from stakeholders is vital to water planning.

Tensions over the proposed 66,000-acre Marvin Nichols Reservoir came to a head once again Wednesday as northeast Texas water planners unanimously voted to declare the project is an interregional conflict.

According to the new analysis, yield projections have steadily declined but updated hydrological data suggests that firm yield estimates may still be overstated. The idea that the Marvin Nichols Reservoir is the most feasible supply alternative for sustaining and growing the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area is highly questionable and what makes this project controversial.

A new analysis of Texas reservoirs reveals crucial flaws in Texas’ water planning process and in reservoir yield assessments, raising urgent concerns for legislators and policymakers. The findings highlight systemic issues that could jeopardize water security and economic stability across the state.

Two new pieces of legislation filed by District 1 State Representative Gary VanDeaver and District 5 State Representative Cole Hefner have the potential to erase the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir in Northeast Texas from the state water plan and end the decades long threat it has posed to landowners and the economy. Also sponsoring the bill are House District 7 Rep. Jay Dean and House District 62 Rep. Shelley Luther.

As the state population booms and the economy grows, a Texas 2036 analysis projected the state will need to invest at least $154 billion over the next 50 years on new water supplies and infrastructure upgrades. The majority of that would be dedicated to fixing deteriorating drinking and wastewater systems.

On October 30, 2024,over 300 Northeast Texans came together against the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir at the Region D Regional Water Planning Group Meeting. Listen to their testimony here.

House Bill 2114 — This bill aims to prevent conflicts of interest by barring engineering firms involved in state or regional water planning from also constructing reservoirs. It specifically applies to feasibility reviews assessing costs, timelines, land acquisition, and economic impacts. One example of a case is the $7 billion Marvin Nichols Reservoir, which groups estimate would flood over 66,000 acres of northeast Texas forest.

Despite decades of opposition – which has seen a recent resurgence – Region C has repeatedly called for the reservoir to be constructed on Region D’s land. Northeast Texas residents have said the project has loomed over their families for generations, since it’s been included in multiple state water plans since 1968.

“It has been, and continues to be, the position of the Northeast Texas Regional Water Planning Group,,” Chair Jim Thompson told KERA, “that due to the significant negative impacts upon environmental factors, agriculture resources, other natural resources and third parties, Marvin Nichols should not be included as a water management strategy in any regional water plan or the state water plan.”

The North Texas and Northeast Texas regional water planning groups are in conflict over the project, which would flood the Sulphur River basin north of Mount Pleasant.