Dramatic moments in public water policy planning aren’t too common. But there actually was such a moment in Texas water policy last week. It involved the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir, which if built, would flood about 70,000 acres north of Mount Pleasant.
On Aug.7, the Texas Water Development Board met on the topic and many expected the board to approve the project’s inclusion in the water plan for the Dallas-Fort Worth region. The reservoir has been in dispute because the Northeast Texas regional planning group doesn’t want it. In a surprise move, the three-member governing body of the agency voted 2-1 to delay a decision.
Texas Water Development Board spokesman Andy Saenz discusses why the agency requested that a detailed study of the project’s impact be available by Nov. 3.