Water officials in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex are considering building a pipeline to pump 300,000 acre feet of water from the Toledo Bend Reservoir in southeast Texas to Dallas-Fort Worth, and other areas of Northeast Texas, in what could be the most expensive, yet speediest plan to quench the area's thirst.

The plan being studied would provide the Dallas-Fort Worth area with a 15-year supply of water, and early estimates show it could cost about $1.5 billion, said Jim Oliver, general manager of the Tarrant Regional Water District.

Piping water from Toledo Bend would be a much faster way of meeting Dallas-Fort Worth needs than building the controversial Marvin Nichols Reservoir. The $1.6 billion reservoir, which would cover about 72,000 acres in the Sulphur River basin, could take decades to build, Oliver said. By contrast, water from Toledo Bend could be flowing from faucets in the Dallas-Fort Worth area by 2015, Oliver said. But even if the pipeline is approved, other water options, including the reservoir, would still be considered, he said.

Oliver said the Tarrant water district, the city of Dallas and the North Texas Municipal Water District are discussing a cost-share plan with the Sabine River Authority of Texas, which manages Texas' share of Toledo Bend, a man-made lake on the Louisiana border. Discussions began last year as Sabine officials searched for ways to meet the future water needs of Longview and Kilgore, and the growing needs of the northern basin, which includes portions of Collin County and Rockwall County, the fastest-growing county in the nation, said Jerry Clark, the Sabine River Authority's general manager.

Clark said the proposed pipeline would run from Toledo Bend, probably to Lake Fork in East Texas, where it would supply the East Texas customers and enter the Dallas area water system through a pipeline already under construction that's expected to be finished within the next two years.

Oliver said Dallas and the Tarrant and North Texas water districts already are conducting feasibility and economic studies.

Driven by state mandates, new water demands from an expanding population, and a need to be more efficient with existing water supplies, Region D water planners are likely to put more emphasis on water reuse in Northeast Texas.

Addressing the Region D board, Ernest C. Rebuck of the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), said the portion of water supplied by reuse in Texas will increase from 2% in 2000 to 3% in 2050. While reuse comprises 2% of the current water supply, Rebuck said it represents nearly 6% of water supplied by future water planning strategies.

He said the TWDB has funds available for studies on innovative reuse strategies in Northeast Texas and that state water policies will identify water reuse as a water policy within the state. Rebuck said reuse generally comes in two principal forms:

* Indirect, which is water discharged by municipalities and others into a stream and picked up by other users for downstream use.

* Direct, which is water discharged from a treatment plant or another closed system and reused in the community.

How to get water from areas of abundance to areas of scarcity is one of the challenges Texans will increasingly face as the state's population grown. Water issues are especially relevant in the real estate industry where the value of properties and the feasibility of economic growth are affected by present and future water supplies.

The Real Estate Center's newest video, "Understanding Texas Water Issues", helps make sense of the problems and some of the solutions for the state's future water needs. It explores what is being done in El Paso, San Antonio and along the Pecos River to prevent water shortages.

The video also explains what agencies and what laws govern the use of water and the dos and don'ts of groundwater leasing. The primary audience is real estate professionals, but the video offers valuable information for all Texans.

To order a VHS copy, call 800-244-2144. They are $19.95 each.

GILMER -- The Northeast Texas Regional Water Planning Group D approved water demand projections for the region at its meeting Wednesday [September 17]. The projections are required by the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) for statewide planning purposes. The projections were the culmination of work done by Hayter Engineering of Paris. Ray Fleming and Reeves Hayter presented the results of their survey of the region's 300 water districts. Hayter noted that there was a 75 percent response rate to the survey.

The consultants initially outlined projections for 2000 to 2050 in "round one". This year, the consultants revised their projections based on adjusted population figures as well as requests from the planning group for more specific data. The "round two" projections show water demand in Region D in the year 2060 at more than 800,000 acre feet, an increase of over 100,000 acre feet. The projections include municipal, manufacturing, steam electric, irrigation and livestock demand summaries in the 20 counties in Region D.

"What does this tell you?" asked Steve Dean, at-large member from Gilmer. "That our initial plans were too conservative, and we're going to need more water?"

"We think so," said Fleming. "We probably will need more water than we originally thought, but for now we have plenty. In the next round of planning, we'll have even better information." Fleming explained that the surveys gathered data on the drought index and growing season rainfall to measure against annual production. "The water demand projection is based on the driest year for the region," he said.

Hayter took the podium to further detail municipal water use in the region, which reflects only residential and commercial use. Municipal use includes water used for drinking, cleaning, sanitation, cooling and landscape watering. He reported that the base gallons per capita per district vary widely across the region, with some districts as low as 115 gallons a day and others showing individual utilization of more than 185 gallons of water a day. Hayter attempted to explain the variance.

"Individual consumer usage is essentially the same," he said. "Differences occur because users in larger communities or with higher income levels tend to use more water for lawns, pools or water-consuming appliances than rural or lower income users. Also, users with septic tanks are generally more conservative than users on municipal wastewater systems."

Hayter also noted that some areas are substantially residential, while others are substantially commercial. People may come into the area to work, shop, or eat, but they are not included in population projections. Further, communities with colleges, hospitals, nursing facilities or prisons will also show higher usage but not necessarily higher population.

The region's population in 2060 is projected to be 1.2 million, an increase from 1 million in 2050.

Before approving the projections, board members asked about setting goals for maximum usage rates for entities in Region D. "A goal would be a part of the plan, but it's better as a strategy in the future," Hayter responded. "I'm concerned to put a maximum limit because the population characteristics change so much."

Fleming added, "It's a good idea, but if we set an absolute maximum, it could be dangerous. We risk artificially lowering the amount of water the region needs. We're planning for the drought of record for fifty years. I don't want us to shoot low and not be able to recover."

Virginia Towles, TWDB liaison to the planning group, pointed out that "conservation is required in this round of planning. But there is not an actual recommendation from the Water Development Board on caps or limits. We've deliberately avoided this because there's too many variances across the state."

Mendy Rabicoff of Longview said, "We cannot set an upper limit on usage, because it would kill economic development. We can set conservation goals, but we can't restrict without some damage."

Richard LeTourneau, at-large member from Longview, said, "I would like to see more institutions and industries in the region, too, but we can't avoid conservation issues because of them. We set strategies and goals, not laws. No one's going to get in trouble if they don't follow them. If we exceed our goals, it doesn't mean we can't keep striving."

Board members agreed that they could not set an absolute maximum usage goal Wednesday, but Walt Sears, with Northeast Texas Municipal Water District, pointed out, "The majority of our towns are at less than 150 gallons. If the number is higher, it deserves an explanation. Over 185 gallons is suspicious. Let's be practical. If the numbers are high, let's find out why. As a planning group, we can't dictate rules to a city, but they should come up with a reasonable plan with explanations required for excesses," he added.

After unanimously approving the water demand projections to be sent to the state, board members asked the consultants for further study on unaccounted-for water loss and excessive usage by water districts in the region. The board also asked the consultants to create a conservation strategy based on the data.

In other business, the board accepted the resignation of Maxie Chester, Rains county representative. The group will take nominations for the spot at its next meeting on Nov. 19.