Pipeline offered as solution

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

April 7, 2005 - The Sabine River Authority of Texas (SRATX) believes the best alternative to meet the water supply need is with a Toledo Bend Reservoir Pipeline. Their reasons include:

• Takes into consideration the economic and environmental factors involved with meeting growing long-term water supply needs;
• Can be implemented in stages to meet increasing future demands;
• Provides flexibility for construction dates of segements to be adjusted to meet a variety of potential future demands;
• Sharing of infrastructure costs could supply Upple Sabine Basin and adjoining service area customers the most cost-effective and timely source of water from an existing and high quality supply; and
• Future operation of Toledo Bend Reservoir for water supply may provide for more naturalized instream flows in the Lower Sabine River and inflows to Sabine Lake.

On the Texas side, Toledo Bend Reservoir is in Shelby, Sabine, and San Augustine counties, in the southern end of the East Texas region.