East Fork Wetlands Project | Dallas Texas

In 2004, faced with projections of two-fold population growth by 2060, the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) began exploring ways to increase the water supplies available for its 1.6 million customers in Collin, Dallas, Denton, Hunt, Kaufman and Rockwall counties. Current water needs were primarily being met by a series of large reservoirs. Projections for an additional reservoir to meet the growing need would cost taxpayers $1.3 to $2.2 billion, and were being aggressively opposed by rural residents whose land would be condemned for the project. The NTMWD’s search for alternative solutions led them to the Sands family. The two parties struck a long-term ground easement agreement for the Sands family’s Seagoville Ranch, a working cattle ranch Southeast of Dallas, and the development of a wetland project. The NTMWD spent $246 million on the East Fork Wetland Project . While it is a significant expenditure, the NTMWD considers it an investment against a potential water shortage and its related economic impacts. The project contributes, on average, an additional 50 million gallons of water per day to the NTMWD’s supply.

Like most water matters, there is a complicated formula governing how much water passes through the wetlands at any given time. Under the current conditions the East Fork Wetland Project (hyperlink

The Need

• Projected population growth of 1.6 to 3.8 million water users by 2060
• To meet projected demand, experts have said the NTWMD will need to construct one 750,000 ac/ft reservoir each decade for the next 50 years.
• Each reservoir would likely require condemnation and flooding of over 21,000 acres of land at a cost of $1.3 – 2.2 billion.

The Problem

• Current capacity paired with projected population growth not sufficient to withstand a drought of record
• Water shortage could have severe socio-economic impacts (TWDB Analysis)
  • reduce population growth by 2%
  • reduce employment by over 500,000 jobs
  • reduce regional income by more than $61 billion
  • lost tax revenue of over $64 billion annually

The Solution

• An innovative public-private partnership used land and wetland protection to ensure future clean water supply for the NTMWD.
• The East Fork Wetland Project has protected the regional landscape. While an adequate reservoir would require condemnation of over 21,000 acres, the wetland project encompasses just 1,840 acres – and the family, with small modifications to its management plan, is still able to ranch on the adjoining land.
• The East Fork Wetland contributes, on average, an additional 50 million gallons of water per day to the NTMWD’s supply, approximately equivalent to a 750,000 ac/foot reservoir.