NTMWD and State of Oklahoma Agree on Terms to Return Lake Texoma Pump Station Back to Texas
Oct. 30 Update: Oklahoma’s Contingency Review Board (OCRB) has adopted a redrawn boundary between Texas and Oklahoma, officially returning the North Texas Municipal Water District’s (NTMWD) Lake Texoma Raw Water Pump station to the State of Texas.
The agreement, which corrects an issue created during the 2000 redrawing of the Oklahoma/Texas state boundaries, is an equal swap of 1.34 acres. The Texas General Land Office Commissioner, Dawn Buckingham, M.D., approved the agreement on October 22.
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Original Story
The Oklahoma Red River Boundary Commission (RRBC) has voted to approve an amended and restated Texas-Oklahoma state boundary that will place North Texas Municipal Water District’s Lake Texoma Raw Water Pump Station fully back inside the Texas border.
The Commission’s October 9 action was a major milestone in correcting an issue dating back to 2000 that put the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) and Greater Texoma Utility Authority’s (GTUA) access to raw water supplies from Lake Texoma at risk.
“We’re pleased we’ve reached an agreement with our partners in Oklahoma ensuring continued use of our Lake Texoma pump station to provide water to our rapidly growing service area,” said Jenna Covington, Executive Director and General Manager of North Texas Municipal Water District. “This agreement secures a vital water supply for the region, as Lake Texoma accounts for approximately 20 percent of NTMWD’s permitted water supplies that serve more than two million North Texans.”
NTMWD will remit $10 million to the Oklahoma State Treasurer as part of the agreement. The funding is intended to support projects beneficial to NTMWD’s interests in the Lake Texoma and Red River watersheds, including projects focused on enhancing water quality and ensuring reliable water supplies in the area.
As a precursor to the vote by the RRBC, NTMWD’s Board of Directors approved the final details of the agreement on Sept. 26. NTMWD Board Member Marvin Fuller of Wylie, chair of the board’s Legislative Committee, represented the District’s board during ongoing negotiations with Oklahoma officials.
“One of the top priorities for the NTMWD Board of Directors is to ensure our growing region has sufficient water supplies,” said Fuller. “Achieving an agreement on this matter is a key part of our long-range water supply plan. We’re thankful to bring this issue to a resolution.”
As part of its long-range water supply plan, NTMWD plans to further increase the use of its permitted Texoma water supply over the next decade. The District will build an additional pipeline from Lake Texoma to its Leonard Water Treatment Plant by 2030. The new pipeline will allow Lake Texoma water, which is high in salt content, to be blended with water from Bois d’Arc Lake, increasing NTMWD’s available water supplies to keep pace with the region’s tremendous growth.
Background on the Agreement
NTMWD has both federal and state permits to draw water from Lake Texoma through its Texoma pump station, built in 1989 within the Texas border on the southeast side of the lake. Oklahoma has access to the same amount of water as Texas. Both states’ water rights are governed by the Red River Compact Commission, which allots water from the Red River to all bordering states, including Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.
In 2000, during a redrawing of the state boundary authorized by the Red River Boundary Compact, the Texas-Oklahoma boundary was incorrectly redrawn in the Lake Texoma area, placing most of NTMWD’s Texoma pump station in Oklahoma.
In 2009, the discovery of zebra mussels in Lake Texoma brought water pumping to a halt. The following year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service informed NTMWD that the pump station was partially located in Oklahoma, resulting in a conflict with the Lacey Act, which prevents the transport of invasive species across state lines. A congressional exception to the Lacey Act allowed NTMWD to restore pumping from Lake Texoma in 2014. To regain access to the Texoma supply, NTMWD constructed a pipeline extension to convey water directly into its Wylie water treatment facilities.
How the Boundary is Being Changed
Changing the boundary required both the Oklahoma and Texas RRBCs to approve the new boundary. As part of their October 9 meeting, the Oklahoma RRBC approved changes to the state boundary near the Texoma Pump station. The Texas RRBC previously approved the amended boundary in August of 2021.
The redrawn boundary (pictured above) ensures that 1.34 acres of land, including NTMWD’s pump station, are transferred back to the State of Texas from the State of Oklahoma. An equal 1.34 acres southeast of the pump station will be transferred from Texas to Oklahoma.
A few additional administrative steps will need to be completed to finalize the redrawn boundary. The agreement must be approved by the Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, and the final boundary documents must be filed in the Oklahoma State Archives. In addition, the agreement is subject to adoption by Oklahoma’s Contingency Review Board.
Additional Facts
- This is an equal swap of land totaling 1.34 acres from each state.
- Neither state owns the land; instead, it is controlled by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the agency responsible for Lake Texoma.
- NTMWD’s Texoma pump station is partially owned (20%) by GTUA.
- GTUA uses Lake Texoma as its primary water source for all of Sherman and Denison, and the more than 220,000 people in 40+ communities it serves.
- Water from Lake Texoma is currently blended with water from Lavon Lake at the Wylie Water Treatment Plant due to elevated levels of total dissolved solids present in Lake Texoma. A blending ratio of 80% Lavon Lake and 20% Lake Texoma is typically used, but the ratio can vary based on real-time water quality conditions.
Supporting Documents
- Oklahoma Red River Boundary Commission Meeting - October 6, 2024
- Copy of Proposed NTMWD-Oklahoma RRBC Agreement
- Sept. 26, 2024, Presentation to NTMWD Board of Directors