Water Wednesday in Texas

Water is Gold – The New Texas Tea

I would have run the statistics that have been assembled by our vaunted State of Texas, and other organizations, stats like population growth and water supply and consumption. But, it stumps Chet, and the odds of accuracy on the three aforementioned are, well .. what do you think the odds are for the numbers being accurate. I could tell you why they are not accurate, illegal immigration not counted, the competency of the Government departments, etc … there’s no need. You know the deal.

What I can say is, in my little City of Denton, Texas, the City of Denton is LITERALLY paying people to take GRASS OUT of their yards. At the same time, they let the devil in the door – we have a data center less than two miles from my neighborhood. Chet says, “(Location: The facility is located at 8171 Jim Christal Road, Denton, TX, near the Denton Municipal Electric (DME) Denton Energy Center.) The primary data center in Denton, Texas, is a high-density artificial intelligence (AI) facility operated by Core Scientific, which is currently in the process of being acquired by the AI cloud provider CoreWeave.” I don’t have to tell you, this thing consumes a lot of water!

While problems with water appear in Texas in local and regional conditions (our own backyards), and situations that are micro to fly fishing MY fly fishing YOUR fly fishing; the big MACRO picture for the State of Texas falls short of GOOD NEWS on a very consistent basis. The kinds of changes Texas needs are not radical, but they are going to be revolutionary. And they are revolutionary because the subtle, and preferable evolution of water crisis solutions.

Celebrate a Lake

More water, more water to fly fish, is always worth celebrating in my fly fishing region. And we got more water, the big calm I like, with the opening of Bois D’Arc Lake in Fannin County. It’s not next door, it’s not close, but remember what I say: “Nothing is Close in Texas!” What is worth observing is the fanfare of a new Texas lake being formed and opened, and what it does for and to a region. Going to Bois D’Arc is like being an explorer somewhere before the heathens arrive, before the noise, pollution, wake boats, McMansions and crazies take over.

Imagine a new Texas Lake coming online every five years! My unscientific guess is – the State of Texas could almost keep up with demand if they built a new lake every five years – for the next fifty years? Think of the booms around new lakes, and the economic impact … new towns, new cities and a better geographic distribution of recreational sources, and TRAFFIC! Bois D’Arc is a lake I was skeptical about, and truthfully I am still a bit skeptical that lake will stay filled on an ongoing basis. But, it certainly started off with a flood!

HERE IS WHAT IS IN THE WATER PIPELINE FOR TEXAS NOW — in 2025

CHET FOUND THIS: Proposed and Planned Projects 

“Several other reservoir projects are in various stages of planning, though they often face significant challenges, including environmental concerns, local opposition, and high costs: 

• Allens Creek Reservoir: The proposed Allens Creek Reservoir project, a joint effort by the Brazos River Authority and the City of Houston, is moving forward with permitting, following a recent agreement. Construction is required to commence by September 1, 2035, per the amended permit.
• Marvin Nichols Reservoir: This is a long-planned, controversial project that would be one of the largest reservoirs in Texas, primarily serving the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It faces strong local opposition due to the large amount of land (over 72,000 acres) that would be flooded. An agreement between the conflicting water planning regions (Regions C and D) stipulates that no permit applications will be submitted before 2030 while an alternative is studied.
• Other Potential Projects: The state water plan includes other potential reservoir sites like Lake Ringgold, Lake Columbia, and Lake Creek Reservoir, among others, to meet long-term water needs. 
• Also located in Fannin County, construction on Lake Ralph Hall began in June 2021. It is expected to begin delivering water by late 2026 and will provide essential water for North Texas communities and a new fossil park and other recreational benefits.

The development of new lakes is considered essential by state water planners to accommodate the significant population growth in Texas, especially in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.” 

THANKS FOR READING! What is the situation where you are located? How close are you to these proposed reservoirs? What have you heard?