Preserve Northeast Texas
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.
CBS19, February 21, 2025
On Wednesday, February 19, 2025, the North East Texas Regional Water Planning Group (Region D), unanimously approved the Initially Prepared Plan (IPP) for the 2026 Region D Water Plan. The plan contained forceful language in opposition to the Marvin Nichols Reservoir, emphatically opposing its inclusion in any regional plan or the State Water Plan.
The proposed reservoir seeks to provide more water for Dallas-Fort Worth area residents, but several Northeast Texans say the project would take away private land.
While a feasibility study completed last year found no reason not to construct the reservoir, the words of Governor Greg Abbott still ring out to those opposed to the construction of Marvin Nichols. Abbott said roughly one year ago, “There are water needs, whether it be in the Dallas area or even in the Tyler area. But what we must do, we must explore other options before we start taking people’s lands or flooding property that’s been around for literally centuries.
One of Gov. Greg Abbott’s emergency items for the current session of the Texas Legislature concerns upgrades to the state’s water infrastructure. He’s seeking to increase the state’s investment in water by allocating $1 billion a year for 10 years to tap into new water supplies and repair existing pipes to save billions of gallons of water each year.
Texas State Representative Gary VanDeaver has filed two bills that could put an end to plans to kick residents off land in east Texas for the Marvin Nichols Reservoir project, which would provide water for the Dallas metro area.