NE Texas cities vote to be a part of Wright Patman water agency

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

April 29, 2004 -- It didn't take long for 11 cities to pass a resolution to re-create the Wright Patman Regional Water Supply Agency on April 21.

Those cities included Annona, Atlanta, Avery, Clarksville, DeKalb, Hooks, Maud, Nash, New Boston, Redwater, and Wake Village; with one city, Queen City, voting against the resolution.

On April 22, Queen City Mayor Bobby Bowman said "the resolution is too vague to enter into at this time. There is no specific obligation of how this agency would be operated ... too many loopholes."

Bowman added once the agency was set up and questions could be answered, the city might consider becoming a member. Until that time, they are looking for alternative sources for water.

"Wright Patman Lake is not that source," Bowman concluded. The lake stretches along the Bowie-Cass County line in far Northeast Texas. Ground- and surface-water rights continue to be a hot topic across the state.

According to the resolution, the members of the Wright Patman Regional Water Supply Agency would establish an on-going relationship and process to enable them to collectively and cooperatively investigate, pursue, negotiate, and acquire additional water and wastewater facilities for the benefit of their existing and future citizens.

The public utility agency is "defined to accomplish the goals of optimal development, conservation, and use of water resources, and development of wastewater facilities, necessary to meet the needs of the agency, its members, and their existing and future citizens, including the development of a coordinated, detailed proposal for obtaining additional water supplies from any source to meet the existing and future water supply requirements of the members of the agency."

Each city which agreed to the resolution and became a member of the agency is entitled to appoint one director to the agency's board. This appointment is made by the mayor, and will be held for a period of two years. After two years, lots will be drawn to determine which members of the agency will have their directors to serve additional two-year terms and which will have one-year terms. The directors will serve staggered two-year terms.

The creation of this agency has set off tidal waves across the Northeast corner of Texas, mainly because concerned citizens are not getting answers to questions such as "who is financing this agency?"

Seven of the cities voting for the resolution are involved in a civil lawsuit against Texarkana, Texas, and the Texarkana Water Utilities. Due to this lawsuit, and to ensure that an impartial jury hears evidence, last year, a gag order was put in place by 76th State District Judge Jim White. This gag order, according to those seven cities, is the reason they can not answer questions regarding the Wright Patman Regional Water Supply Agency.

But, the Atlanta city council, said the lawsuit has nothing to do with the creation of this agency.

"This is about protecting our water rights," one city council person said, "but there are some questions that needs to be answered."