The ongoing debate about the Marvin Nichols Reservoir is being presented to the public once again. The Texas Water Development Board recently published a feasibility study on the project and is receiving public comment on the new report.
The proposed project has been discussed for more than 50 years and has been included in regional and state water plans since 2001. If built, the lake would flood about 66,000 acres in the Sulphur River Basin in in Titus, Red River, and Franklin counties. The project, which is opposed by many in the local area, has not been granted a final permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Texas State Rep. Gary VanDeaver attached a rider to the state budget that directed TWDB to prepare the new feasibility study on the proposal. It’s viewable at the website of the Texas Water Development Board, which is also receiving public comment on the report through Oct. 15. VanDeaver is encouraging his constituents in House District 1 and other Texans in the region to review the report and submit comments. Input must be emailed to feasibility@twdb.texas.gov.
