North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) was conceptualized in the early 1940s, when a group of community leaders joined together out of concern for dwindling groundwater supplies that supported 32,000 people.

Eight decades later, our organization is serving 2 million people and embarking on new ways to sustain the water supply and maintain services for one of the fastest-growing regions in Texas.

History of Our Logo

logo-nametoside-transFor more than 60 years, the official logo of NTMWD has stood as a time-honored symbol of life-sustaining growth and prosperity through unity and cooperation.  Water is essential for life, thus the logo is anchored by blue water that gives life to the plant above. The plant that emerges has 10 leaves, one leaf for each of the 10 original Member Cities that formed the District. The water that feeds the plant stretches out to create a frame, reminding us that we are all bound by our universal need for water as we continue to grow and thrive as a community.

The ten original Member Cities are: Farmersville, Forney, Garland, McKinney, Mesquite, Princeton, Plano, Rockwall, Royse City, and Wylie. Richardson joined as a Member City in 1973, Allen in 1998, and Frisco in 2001.

Take an interactive tour of the District’s history.

Our key milestones include:

1945
U.S. Congress authorizes construction of Lavon Lake
1946
Tri-County Lavon Reservoir Association convenes
1948
Lavon Lake construction begins
1951
North Texas Municipal Water District created as a special district of the state 10 cities (Farmersville, Forney, Garland, McKinney, Mesquite, Plano, Princeton, Rockwall, Royse City and Wylie) became the original Member Cities.
1954
NTMWD creates regional water system (pop. 32,000)
1956
First treated water plant begins operations
1966
Obtains Water Rights permit for Cooper Lake
1968
USACE begins construction on Cooper Lake
1972
NTMWD creates regional wastewater system
1973
City of Richardson becomes 11th Member City
1975
Lavon Lake dam raised to store more water (pop. 200,000)
1980
NTMWD creates regional solid waste system
1982
Maxwell Creek Landfill opens
1986
Water rights permit for Lake Texoma obtained
1987
Wilson Creek regional wastewater treatment plant begins operations
1990
72" Texoma pipeline construction begins
1991
Cooper Lake dam completed after injunction causes 15 year delay
1994
Total population served = approx. 800,000
1998
City of Allen becomes 12th Member City
1998
Cooper Lake renamed Jim Chapman Lake by act of Congress
2001
City of Frisco becomes 13th Member City
2004
121 Regional Disposal Facility opens in Melissa
2006
Began permitting process to build the Bois d'Arc Lake to meet future water needs
2008
East Fork Reuse Project in operation using 1,840-acre manmade wetlands
2009
Zebra Mussels detected in Lake Texoma; 28% of water supply lost
2011
Lake Tawakoni Water Treatment Plant begins operations; drought plan initiated (hottest year on record)
2013
Ozone disinfection facilities begin service
2014
Texoma to Wylie WTP pipeline complete, restoring access to Lake Texoma – 28% of water supply
2015
Water rights permit for Lower Bois d'Arc Creek Reservoir obtained (pop. 1.6 million)
2018
Construction begins on first new major reservoir in Texas, Bois d'Arc Lake, in nearly three decades