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Lower Bois d'Arc Creek Reservoir proposal put on hold

North Texas Municipal Water District
The Lower Bois d'Arc Creek Reservoir, if built, would flood about 16,500 acres in Fannin County.

A proposed new lake in Fannin County is still awaiting final approval from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Before that can happen, those who would be directly affected by the proposed Lower Bois d’Arc Creek Reservoir will have the chance to present their case to the Texas Office of Administrative Hearings.

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality commissioners met on Sept. 24 in Austin and referred the cases of those parties who had proved to TCEQ that the new lake would impact them or their land to the Texas Office of Administrative Hearings.

If built, the lake would flood about 16,500 acres along the Lower Bois d'Arc Creek, a small tributary of the Red River, along its pathway north of Bonham. The site would run from near U.S. Hwy. 82 just northeast of Bonham to near the Caddo National Grassland in northern Fannin County. The main entity advocating the plan is the North Texas Municipal Water District, which serves the rapidly growing northern suburbs of Dallas.

No timeline has been set, but once every party that would be affected by the proposed Lower Bois d’Arc Creek Reservoir gets its hearing, the TCEQ will review the findings from those hearings. That could happen some time in 2015. If the TCEQ approves the plan next year, the federal government must also approve the proposed reservoir before construction could begin.

Mark Haslett has served at KETR since 2013. Since then, the station's news operation has enjoyed an increase in listener engagement and audience metrics, as well recognition in the Texas AP Broadcasters awards.