Often seen as an inconsiderate water-waster intent on haphazardly acquiring property and flooding it, the Dallas metroplex needs more water largely because of growth, officials there say.
The controversial Marvin Nichols Reservoir in Northeast Texas would not represent an alternative water strategy for the City of Dallas' utility. But it is listed as a new water supply by other water providers in Region C, including the North Texas Municipal Water District and Tarrant Regional Water District.
TRWD operates four reservoirs and Dallas water supplies are Lakes Lewisville, Grapevine, Ray Hubbard, Tawakoni and Ray Roberts. NTMWD supplies water from Tawakoni as well as Bonham, Lavon and Jim Chapman [Cooper] Lakes. And all that water still will not meet future needs, officials say.
They attribute the projected shortage in Region C simply to population explosion in the nation's fastest-growing state. By the end of regional 50-year plans in 2060, Region C's population is projected to double from 6.7 million to 13 million.
"The current supply is not adequate to meet future demands in Region C ... ," said Mike Rickman, NTMWD assistant general manager. "Recent droughts in many parts of Texas have dramatized the need to maintain adequate supplies for the future."
Region C already has one quarter of the state's population and uses 1/12 of its water. Rickman said municipal water usage in the metroplex is above the state average. Municipal usage includes residential and commercial use but excludes industrial and irrigation. Efforts are ongoing to reduce that usage through conservation and reuse campaigns. "Water supplies in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex are implementing major water reuse projects to make full use of available water supplies," Rickman said.
NTMWD, Tarrant Regional Water District and the City of Dallas are spending several million dollars annually on public information campaigns to encourage conservation and more are planned in the future. The Region C plan includes 47 percent of municipal water conservation planned for the entire state and 57 percent of its reuse plan.
"Implementing water conservation, including reuse, delays and reduces the need for new supplies," Rickman said. He said Region C's per capita usage is the lowest in Texas. Rickman said a "water shortage" is not expected in Region C because additional water supplies will be developed before it becomes a problem. "Water suppliers in Region C and elsewhere in Texas have been planning and developing water supplies for centuries," he said. "The Region C water plan builds on the successful water supply measures of the past and lays out a path to continue to meet demands for the future."
These plans include acquiring water from additional existing area water sources, such as Toledo Bend on the Texas/Louisiana border and Lake Texoma on the Texas/Oklahoma border, and attempting to use other sources in Oklahoma. Out-of-state water sales are banned in Oklahoma. Future lakes like Marvin Nichols are vital, officials say.
A leading concern related to the local reservoir is the threat of mitigation, land of similar makeup that is designated and protected to balance what will be flooded. Rickman said the most common misconception about the proposed reservoir relates to mitigation ratios, which are feared to be up to 10 times the area flooded. "In fact, the total mitigation for major reservoirs in Texas has ranged from none to 1.85 times the area inundated," he said. "The level of mitigation required for a project is determined by the U.S. Corps of Engineers during the environmental review for a project."
Another misconception is that Marvin Nichols is not needed. "It is an important part of the Region C water plan, which has been reviewed and approved by the Texas Water Development Board," Rickman said. "Marvin Nichols is a cost-effective and appropriate supply for the Region C area."