AUSTIN – The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved financial assistance of $499,860,000 from the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) program to the North Texas Municipal Water District to finance the construction of the Lower Bois d’Arc Creek Reservoir.
The district includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Hunt, Kaufman, Rains and Rockwall counties.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granted a construction permit earlier in February for the first reservoir to be built in Texas in 30 years. The water development approved the financing Feb. 15.
Construction on the 16,641-acre lake northeast of Bonham in Fannin County is scheduled to begin this spring with a completion estimated in 2022.
“The TWDB is proud to be part of this major water supply project that will serve approximately 1.7 million Texans,” said TWDB Board member Kathleen Jackson. “The reservoir is critical to meeting the water needs of several North Texas cities and a large number of rural communities in the region.”
The Feb. 15 commitment was the second portion of an application from the district. In July 2017, the TWDB committed $677,120,000 for the first phase of this project, TWDB said in a news release.
“The TWDB’s total $1.1 billion commitment to the Lower Bois d’Arc Reservoir demonstrates the SWIFT program’s ability to turn state water plan projects into a reality,” said TWDB Board member Peter Lake. “Conceived at the local level, approved by the regional planning group, and formally adopted in the state water plan, this reservoir has broad support and will be an essential water source for decades to come.”
By using the SWIFT program, the district could save approximately $151 million over the life of the more than $1 billion project, TWDB said.
As part of the project, the district will also construct a new 70-million-gallon-per-day water treatment plant.
The project has been in the planning stage for more than 15 years.
“This has been a tremendous team effort, and we appreciate the support of all involved in the process,” said water district Executive Director Tom Kula in a news release after the Corps of Engineers granted the construction permit. “It is a great example of the value and importance of regional water planning and collaboration among communities for the shared need of a long-term, reliable water supply.”
The water district says that the lake will be a key resource for an area where the population is expected to double in the next 50 years.
More information:
ntmwd.com/projects/lower-bois-darc-creek-reservoir
twdb.texas.gov
Includes material from the Fort Worth Business Press archives