An intense regional battle over water supply is bubbling up across North Texas. Water planners are split over the creation of the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir in northeast Texas. Water managers in DFW are planning on the 66,000-acre project; local planners are not.
People shared their opinions during a public hearing in Arlington on Monday. Public comment on the water plan runs through July 18.
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WATCH HEREDozens of people drove in from East Texas.
“These ideas that you put on paper cost somebody, something,” said one.
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SIGN UP “What am I supposed to tell my friends who live in that area? Well, your house may be underwater, I don’t know,” said another.
Most who attended the meeting spoke against the Marvin Nichols Reservoir, wearing green stickers to show their opposition. The project would require landowners to sell their property along the Sulphur River in Red River and Titus counties, or see it taken through eminent domain. The reservoir would send most of its water to the booming DFW Metroplex.
Part of Stanley Jessee’s land would be underwater if the plan moves forward.
“That’s where I live. That’s where I’ve retired. I raise cattle there, that’s what I do. My grandkids live next to me, or close to us. If the reservoir comes, we lose all that,” said Jessee.
Advocates from the business community spoke in favor of keeping the Region C water plan — including Marvin Nichols — as is, arguing DFW’s population could double to 15 million in the coming decades and will need new water sources.
“You know, at the end of the day, it comes down to quality of life. It comes to economic competitiveness,” said Chris Wallace, president of the North Texas Commission. “As you well know, water is the foundation of every growing community and every healthy economy.”
Dan Buhman, chair of the Region C Planning Group, told NBC 5 that the plan’s critics are partially right: Water users in DFW need to conserve more, but that alone isn’t enough.
“It’s a yes, and, future. We have to conserve, there’s no question about it. We are really focused on conserving as much water as possible,” said Buhman.
He said the math of new people coming and the water available now doesn’t add up without new groundwater reservoirs.
“I know it’s a difficult topic, and I know it can be an emotional topic, and I appreciate them coming and hearing their perspective. It is true that there’s an impact to every new strategy,” said Buhman.
Because the DFW and northeast Texas water plans are split on the issue, the Texas Water Development Board will have the final say. A decision may come in early 2026, after the regions submit their official five-year plans in the fall.
