Texas House bill could bring the end of Marvin Nichols Reservoir plan
AUSTIN, Texas (KTAL/KMSS) – Texas State Representative Gary VanDeaver has filed two bills that could put an end to plans to kick residents off land in east Texas for the Marvin Nichols Reservoir project, which would provide water for the Dallas metro area.
'It's been, you know, very clear to me that this is an issue that needs to be addressed,' said District 1 Rep. Gary VanDeaver.
House Bill 2109 would make it so that if a project has been part of a Texas Water Development board water plan for more than 50 years without starting construction, it would need to be removed.
'And of course, Marvin Nichols has been on the books, I believe since 1968, so well over 50 years.' said State Rep. VanDeaver, 'The thought behind that is if you identified it 50 years ago and you haven't needed it yet, then chances are, you know, you're not going to.'
Homes and dreams of E. Texas residents could end up underwater
VanDeaver wants to prevent Texas landowners from staying in limbo for decades like those living at the proposed reservoir site.
'There's an entire generation of landowners in Red River, Bowie County, you know, where this project is proposed, that, you know, they're afraid to build a home. They're afraid to build a barn or a permanent fence on their property. And it's time to set them free,' said State Rep. VanDeaver.
House Bill 2114 was filed alongside that bill, and it would try to prevent conflicts of interest.
'Basically saying that if an engineering firm has been involved in helping the Texas Water Development Board identify projects to move forward, then that firm cannot be the firm that gets to build the project,' said State Rep. VanDeaver.
Helping to ensure that projects are not being kept on water plans for reasons other than serving the water needs of Texans.
'What we see sometimes are these engineering firms that are heavily involved in the planning stages, and justifying a project to the Texas Water Development Board to get it in the plan. And then they come along and do the engineering work for the project and make millions and then hundreds of millions and in some cases billions of dollars on these projects,' said State Rep. VanDeaver.
VanDeaver hopes his colleagues representing other rural districts will see the existential threat that projects like the Marvin Nichols Reservoir pose and support the bills.
'It doesn't matter whether they're in Red River County or any other county in the state of Texas. I want to do what's right for Texans, and we value private property ownership. And in Texas, We should not be in fear that at some point, they're going to come in, someone's going to come in and take my property.' said State Rep. VanDeaver, 'We're highly concerned and always attentive to attempts to take private property because we just see eminent domain misused many times.'
District 5 State Rep. Cole Hefner coauthors the bills.
VanDeaver says he will work hard to get a hearing on these bills once the house committees are set up. That way, the passionate Texans affected by the reservoir can go to Austin and tell their story.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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