Native tallgrass prairie at Lake Ringgold site As reported last summer, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) rubber-stamped a state permit approving the proposed Lake Ringgold, despite a strong recommendation to deny the permit by Judge Christiaan Siano, who had conducted the hearing in the case. Since then, TCA and landowners impacted by the proposed reservoir have filed a petition in District Court to overturn the permit. TCA and other plaintiffs expect a he

Sulphur River The proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir captured statewide attention in the Texas legislature this session when State Rep. Gary VanDeaver introduced HB 2109 to require that any reservoir that had been in the State Water Plan for more than 50 years be removed from the Plan. What followed was an exceptional hearing before the Texas House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee, resulting in a 12-1 vote in favor of sending the measure to the House floor. After

Opponents of Marvin Nichols Reservoir have been garnering widespread media attention to the enormous negative impacts of the 66,000-acre Marvin Nichols Reservoir, proposed on the Sulphur River in northeast Texas. Roughly 250 Texans – from elder citizens to babes in arms – turned out at a special meeting of the Region D Water Planning Group (North East Texas) on October 30 to voice their opposition to Marvin Nichols Reservoir. A month before, dozens of East Texans traveled to

On May 10, 2024, The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) granted a permit to the City of Wichita Falls to build the proposed 16,000-acre Lake Ringgold in neighboring rural Clay County. This despite a strong recommendation by the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) who took testimony on the permit that the permit be denied. “TCEQ has a long history of rubber-stamping reservoir projects,” said TCA’s Senior Policy Advisor Janice Bezanson. “We had hope of a better decisio

Save the Sulphur River, Preserve Northeast Texas TWDB Wants YOUR Input about Marvin Nichols Reservoir The Texas Legislature has mandated a feasibility review of the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir and the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is seeking meaningful input and information to support the review. Topics to be reviewed include implementation timeline, associated costs, land acquisition considerations, and economic impact. Sign up for updates at: https://preserveno

If Ringgold is built, the people of Wichita Falls and its customer cities will pay hundreds of millions of dollars to build something they s

Local folks are taking action in opposition to the proposed 66,000-acre lake, known as Marvin Nichols reservoir, in northeast Texas. Click here to read This is the Texas Rainforest published on the front page of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on February 12, 2023. The Dallas Morning News also published an article about the proposed reservoir on its front page in October 2022. Click here to read Reservoir Fight Resurfaces and Campaign Against Reservoir Plan Ramps Up .

Wetlands, underground storage and filtration can address North Texas water needs. Picture of the Sulphur River in northeast Texas, by Kirian Brown Solutions to major challenges are rarely simple, especially in a world rife with the difficult issues that we face today. The solution to the long-term water supply needs of North Texas might seem to be a choice of either conservation or building reservoirs, such as the which would dam the Sulphur River in the northern reaches of E

Join TCA and Patagonia in submitting comments on the Region C Initially Prepared Plan – tell Region C we don’t need the proposed Marvin N

More than a dozen governmental and non-profit organizations and numerous individuals filed formal requests for a Contested Case Hearing.

Adequate use of municipal water recycling, Texas’ “water problem”, comes down primarily to providing enough water for residential lawns....

The projected cost of the proposed Cedar Ridge Reservoir has risen to $290 million in the regional water plan for the Brazos River basin approved earlier in November. “Abilene does not need Cedar Ridge to fulfill water needs” said Janice Bezanson, TCA executive director, shortly before the Abilene City Council approved an increase in water rates for the city’s water customers. The projected cost of the proposed Cedar Ridge Reservoir has risen to $290 million. “Abilene does no