More than a dozen East Texans residents Monday opposed a plan to flood their homes and create a reservoir that Dallas-Fort Worth residents could tap for drinking water in coming decades.
To construct the Marvin Nichols Reservoir, engineers would dam the Sulphur River and inundate nearly 70,000 acres of land near Bogata. Pipes would carry water stored in the new lake to the metroplex, supplying enough water for 3 million people there.
The project was first proposed in the 1950s, but the state has repeatedly delayed implementation. However, important deadlines are approaching that may force the state water development board to pick a side between East Texas and Dallas-Fort Worth residents.
"About 300 people each day come into the Metroplex, and they're going need water," said Kevin Ward, who chairs the Region C Water Planning Group charged with creating a plan for Dallas-Fort Worth's water supply. "We need (Marvin Nichols) because of the additional people coming in. It's really about people."
The reservoir proposal is key to closing the gap between supply and demand. The planning group estimates Dallas-Fort Worth will need about 1.3 million acre-feet of water each year by 2080, and the Marvin Nichols project could supply an additional 320,000 acre-feet each year by itself.
Right now, water that flows from the Red River into the Sulphur River is deposited in the gulf via Louisiana's Atchafalaya River. Texas has done little to capture that flow.
The Marvin Nichols Reservoir project, including the transmission pipelines that'd need to be laid underground, would cost about $7 billion.
But the East Texas residents warned the reservoir would displace families who've lived on nearby land for generations, kill native wildlife and crush the local timber industry.
To offset the environmental impact of the proposal, Texas would also need to acquire about 130,000 acres of land for conservation through eminent domain. It's not yet clear what land they would claim.
