Close to 300 people packed the meeting room at the Region 8 Service Center last week in Pittsburg to listen to presentations and voice their concerns over the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir in the Sulphur River Basin of Northeast Texas, and to oppose its inclusion in the 2027 Texas State Water Plan. That number included Region D board members and a group from Region C. Experts at the meeting told the Tribune that the fact that Region C members attended suggests that the Marvin Nichols issue is getting more statewide and DFW attention.
The next state water plan for Texas is scheduled to be in place in 2027. The Texas Water Development Board is currently developing the plan, which will be based on the 2026 Regional Water Plans. The TWDB is responsible for preparing and adopting the state water plan every five years. Region D (Northeast Texas) has fought for years to keep Marvin Nichols out of the State Water Plan, while Region C (DFW) wants the proposed reservoir included in the plan to address its water needs in 2050 and beyond.
A contingent of 42 concerned residents of Northeast Texas spoke during the meeting voicing their overwhelming opposition to the behemoth lake, which would drown 66,000 acres in the Sulphur River Basin and require as much as three times that amount for mitigation.
