State's first new reservoir in 30 years will supply water to rapidly growing North Texas
by Marc Ramirez
Construction of the Lower Bois d'Arc Creek Reservoir will start this spring, northeast of Bonham in Fannin County. The $1.2 billion project will be a key source of water for 1.7 million people living in 80 North Texas communities, a population expected to double over the next 50 years. It will measure more than 16,600 surface acres in size, making it a tad smaller than Jim Chapman (Cooper) Lake, north of Sulphur Springs. Construction is expected to be complete in 2022.
In Texas, where most reservoirs are manmade, "reservoirs are an absolute necessity," said Terry Sam Anderson, who represents Mesquite and is the board's longest-serving member. "This historic milestone is a result of significant planning, investment and support."
As long as the water supply keeps up with the population, I suppose there's no reason people in North Texas should use less water. I think daily per capita usage in North Texas is ~twice that of San Antonio/Austin. Man made reservoirs are a requirement where rainfall can vary so dramatically from year to year, decade to decade, but there are far more beneficial ways to recycle and reuse the water we already have in the Trinity River system.
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local ... 63505.html
Man-made wetlands are new water source for Tarrant
By Bill Hanna
June 28, 2014
https://youtu.be/kfbIOkr2gbA
...After beginning with a small 2-acre test facility in the early 1990s, the man-made wetlands have grown to 2,000 acres. The largest phase — 1,600 acres — was completed in October, making this the first year that the wetlands’ full impact has been felt. Last week, the wetlands were providing about 55 million gallons a day — or about 17 percent of the supply for the Tarrant Regional Water District.
In these man-made wetlands, the water is first pumped into one of the sediment basins, where much of the sediment drops to the bottom, then goes into wetland cells, which look like ponds or pools that contain vegetation.
“These plants are taking those constituents out of that water and using them for their growth,” said Darrel Andrews, assistant director of the water district’s environmental division. “The soil binds some of those nutrients as well. These act as the filter. That’s what’s removing those nutrients before it gets to the end of the wetland system and it’s pumped into Richland-Chambers Reservoir.”
Texas has seen an increased emphasis on conserving and reusing water. Under the state water plan, reuse projects like the wetlands are expected to grow ninefold over the next 50 years.
Good for wildlife
But the project is about more than just water — it’s about serving as a haven for wildlife.
“From our perspective, these wetlands are very beneficial to all sorts of native wildlife,” Matthew Symmank said. “The main thing we try to focus on here is habitat for migratory birds.”