Lake Ringgold Bench Ruling Marks Major Victory for Property Rights, Conservation and Common-Sense Water Planning
For over a decade, Texas Conservation Alliance and property owners in Clay County have opposed construction of Lake Ringgold, an unnecessary reservoir proposed by the City of Wichita Falls. After the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) approved a state water rights permit for Lake Ringgold in 2024, TCA joined the Texoma Stewardship Coalition and numerous landowners in filing a petition in District Court challenging the permit. This challenge helped bring years of work to a significant victory on October 9, when Travis County District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble ruled in favor of overturning the permit.
“This is a big win for conservation, property rights, and thoughtful water planning based on common sense,” said Grahame Jones, Executive Director of Texas Conservation Alliance, in announcing the decision. “These landowners have stood up for their homes, ranches, communities, and wildlife through a long and difficult process. They deserve tremendous credit, along with the conservationists, partner organizations, and attorneys who have supported them every step of the way.”
Texas Wildlife Association, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Texas Agricultural Land Trust, and the Texas Farm Bureau are among those who also oppose construction of the reservoir.
TCEQ and the City of Wichita Falls have 30 days to appeal the judge’s decision. If built, Lake Ringgold would inundate 16,000 acres of Clay County ranchland and wildlife habitat. Included would be significant riparian habitat and between 2,000 and 3,000 acres of native tallgrass prairie, one of the country’s rarest ecosystems.
The population of Wichita Falls and the region it serves has been declining for more than a decade. State projections of water use estimate this decline will continue and the region’s water use will go down steadily over the next 50 years. Evidence presented in the permit hearing illustrates the lack of need for Lake Ringgold and the tremendous personal and environmental harm it would bring to the Little Wichita River basin.
The district court decision is a major milestone in shifting Texas water planning toward thoughtful projects that both meet future water needs and protect the value of natural resources that could be lost.
Your support helps sustain that work, from grassroots engagement to policy advocacy and legal challenges like this one.
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