After years of evaluations and months of public input, a state board said it's feasible a planned reservoir in Northeast Texas could supply water to several North Texas counties by 2050.
The Texas Water Development Board this month submitted to the Legislative Budget Board and Gov. Greg Abbott saying it "does not consider it unreasonable" the project will be completed by then. It comes as the population in North Texas is expected to grow to 12 million people in the next 25 years.
"These reports concluded that overall impacts to natural and agricultural resources would be minimal," said the review. "The potential economic impacts associated with increased local labor income during and following construction, new/additional residents... and increased county tax revenue would be substantial and overall beneficial if the Marvin Nichols Reservoir is constructed."
The review also studied the timeline, costs, economic impact and land acquisitions as critical considerations for the project.
"The TWDB did not identify any basis to conclude that the implementation timeline for the Marvin Nichols Reservoir to be online in 2050 would render the project infeasible," the review said.
The proposed reservoir in Red River, Franklin and Titus counties has been part of .
"The Marvin Nichols Reservoir Project Feasibility Review is a superficial review that is very biased toward construction," said Janice Bezanson, senior policy director for the Texas Conservation Alliance.
Bezanson said she has been working with landowners opposed to the project for more than two decades.
"They are devastated at the thought of losing their land, and even more deeply, the impact it will be on communities," she said. "As people are forced to leave the region, school districts will be impacted, counties 鈥� the local people are devastated at the project."
Bezanson said it's disappointing that TWDB did not use the opportunity for review to study the social, economic and environmental effects that that reservoir would cause.
She added that there are alternatives for North Texas to meet its water needs.
"There's a lot of potential for added conservation, for reusing their current water supplies, for using reservoirs that haven't been tapped or not fully tapped," she said.
Pablo Arauz Pe帽a is 四虎影院鈥檚 growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at parauzpena@kera.org. You can follow him on X .
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