Making 'mitigation' proportional is a puzzle

Aug 4, 2014

If the proposed Marvin Nichols reservoir is built along the Sulphur River, then not only would some land need to be flooded, but comparable lands must also be set aside to mitigate the environmental damage caused by flooding about 70,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forest.

Since the Dallas area would receive most of the water delivered by the new lake, it's been suggested that the Dallas area - represented in the state water system by Region C - provide a share of the "mitigated" land that's proportional to the region's water use.

The problem is that hardwood bottomland forest is a lot harder to come by in Region C than it is in Northeast Texas. Walt Sears of the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District discussed the issue at a July meeting of the Texas Water Development Board's planning group in Sulphur Springs.