The timeline for the controversial Marvin Nichols Reservoir project in Northeast Texas would be delayed to 2070 under an agreement reached between water planners.
The project, which has been discussed for decades, would dam the Sulfur River, flooding tens of thousands of acres of ranchland, forest, pasture and wetlands in parts of Red River, Titus and Franklin counties. Opponents of the project say the reservoir would threaten their livelihoods and businesses, while supporters say it’s needed to meet Dallas-Fort Worth’s water needs.
North Central Texas needs to almost double its water supply by 2080 to hydrate the millions expected to move to the region in the coming decades, experts have said. The more than $7 billion Marvin Nichols reservoir would impound 66,000 acres of water, about 180 miles east of Fort Worth.
The Texas Water Development Board in June said there was a conflict between the water supply plans for regional water planners in Northeast Texas (Region D) and the Dallas-Fort Worth area (Region C) that required mediation, according to KERA News.
The resulting mediation agreement includes a delay in when the reservoir could be active, pushing the start date from 2060 – as outlined in a draft water plan for 2026 – to 2070. The project previously had a 2050 completion date.
The mediation agreement also calls for a study to look at the effects of the project and says that Toledo Bend – a reservoir on the Sabine River in Shelby, Sabine and Newton counties – should be included as a recommended water management strategy.
The Region D Water Planning Group approved the agreement during a Wednesday meeting, according to the Tyler Morning Telegraph.
A spokesperson for the Region C Water Planning Group said a date hasn’t been set to discuss and approve the mediation agreement.
The chair of the Northeast Texas planning group and a spokesperson for the Texas Water Development Board did not immediately return Thursday emails seeking comment.
Preserve Northeast Texas, a group that supports ending the Marvin Nichols project, gave the mediation agreement mixed reviews in an Aug. 13 statement.
“While we are relieved that the timeline has once again been pushed back, mitigating the immediate threat of the reservoir, we remain deeply concerned that this destructive project continues to be considered as an option for Region C,” the statement reads.
North Texas officials first conceived of Marvin Nichols in the late 1960s. Debates surrounding its future intensified in the 2000s, as DFW’s ballooning population laid bare the long-term inadequacies of its water reserves.
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