ARLINGTON, Texas — More than a dozen East Texans residents Monday opposed a plan to flood their homes and create a reservoir that Dallas-Fort Worth residents could tap for drinking water in coming decades.
To construct the Marvin Nichols Reservoir, engineers would dam the Sulphur River and inundate nearly 70,000 acres of land near Bogata. Pipes would carry water stored in the new lake to the metroplex, supplying enough water for 3 million people there.
The project was first proposed in the 1950s, but the state has repeatedly delayed implementation. However, important deadlines are approaching that may force the state water development board to pick a side between East Texas and Dallas-Fort Worth residents.
"About 300 people each day come into the Metroplex, and they're going need water," said Kevin Ward, who chairs the Region C Water Planning Group charged with creating a plan for Dallas-Fort Worth's water supply. "We need (Marvin Nichols) because of the additional people coming in. It's really about people."
The reservoir proposal is key to closing the gap between supply and demand. The planning group estimates Dallas-Fort Worth will need about 1.3 million acre-feet of water each year by 2080, and the Marvin Nichols project could supply an additional 320,000 acre-feet each year by itself.
Right now, water that flows from the Red River into the Sulphur River is deposited in the gulf via Louisiana's Atchafalaya River. Texas has done little to capture that flow.
The Marvin Nichols Reservoir project, including the transmission pipelines that'd need to be laid underground, would cost about $7 billion.
But the East Texas residents warned the reservoir would displace families who've lived on nearby land for generations, kill native wildlife and crush the local timber industry.
To offset the environmental impact of the proposal, Texas would also need to acquire about 130,000 acres of land for conservation through eminent domain. It's not yet clear what land they would claim.
"God's not making any more land," said Eddie Belcher, whose family has lived on the same property for seven generations.
Belcher hopes to pass down the land he inherited to his children and grandchildren, but the Marvin Nichols Reservoir would flood all 700 acres.
"My livelihood - my life - is at stake," he told WFAA. "Where do I go from here?"
Belcher is among about a dozen East Texans who drove more than 100 miles to Arlington, where the Region C Water Planning Group met Monday. He testified about the impact the project would have on his family during a public comment session.
"Just leave us alone," he said. "Let us live our lives out where we were born and raised. That's my home."
"They wouldn't want us to come up here and take their home," Belcher added.
The East Texas residents contend the state hasn't looked hard enough for alternatives, potentially including desalination projects, conservation programs, or other storage options making use of existing bodies of water.
"We wish there was a better way to capture and conserve it, but so far that still is... the technology we have," Ward told WFAA.
The Region D Water Planning Group, which has jurisdiction in East Texas, has consistently opposed the reservoir's construction.
If Region D (East Texas) and Region C (DFW) cannot reach a compromise on Marvin Nichols in the coming months, they will formally declare a conflict. The Texas Water Development Board would have to pick a side before it publishes its comprehensive water plan in 2027.
The state legislature has asked for a sort of update by spring 2025.
A compromise seems unlikely, given the two regions have debated the issue for decades. But board members from each planning group have expressed willingness to work together and Monday's meeting was cordial.