State's water plan up for comment

By DAVY MOSELEY | East Texas Edition

October 18, 2001 -- Water is often a controversial issue for Texas, and water issues have only escalated with the Sept. 19 release of the draft 2002 State Water Plan for public comment.

Water for Texas - 2002 is the first State Water Plan to be developed by the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) since the passage of Senate Bill 1 during the 1997 Texas legislative session.

SB 1 changed the way water planning is to be accomplished in Texas. It developed a planning process based on public participation at each step of the planning and local decision making when producing the regional plans.

During the public comment period which ends Nov. 12, the TWDB has scheduled 26 public meetings in 16 cities.

One such public meeting is set for Tuesday, Oct. 23, at the Titus County Extension building in Mount Pleasant. Two sessions, with the same agenda, are scheduled; one at 2 p.m., and another at 6:30 p.m.

During the Mount Pleasant meeting, Bill Mullican, director of TWDB water resources planning division, will present the draft 2002 State Water Plan, and then TWDB staff will address public comments and concerns.

High on the list of controversy surrounding the water plan is the opposition the state of Texas has encountered with a their approach to supply water to the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area.

The National Wildlife Federation is organizing local residents in Northeast Texas in a grassroots effort to promote conservation and oppose construction of the $1.7 billion Marvin Nichols Dam and Reservoir on the Sulphur River, according to an Environmental News Network press release.

Many residents believe the dam threatens not only their land and livelihoods but also wildlife and wildlife habitat that would be permanently lost once the area was flooded by the reservoir the dam would create.

The project would remove 161 billion gallons of water a year from northeast Texas and send it by pipeline 172 miles to the Dallas/Fort Worth area. If constructed, the dam would flood 72,000 acres of rural Texas, including farms, family businesses, and ranches.

The Marvin Nichols Dam is one of several proposed dams that would create reservoirs in Texas, and it is scheduled for development from 2020 to 2030. It is the most costly project proposed in the state's plan.

The TWDB encourages the public to attend the public meetings and provide comments. All comments will be considered prior to completing the final Water for Texas - 2002 that will be considered by the TWDB for final adoption on Dec. 12. Following approval, the TWDB will present the water plan to Governor Rick Perry and state legislators on January 5, 2002.

The draft Water for Texas - 2002 has been available for public comment throughout October during public meetings around the state. The three-volume document will guide Texas' water resource development and management for the next 50 years.

During the comment period, comments on the draft may be emailed to phyllis.thomas@twdb.state.tx.us; mailed to the Texas Water Development Board, P. O. Box 13231, Austin, TX 78711-3231; or faxed: (512)463-9893.