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Projects move forward
Heather M. Smith
Staff writer
The Lake Lavon bridge study caused a heated debate during a previous Commissioner’s Court meeting, but on Thursday, the project moved one step forward.
Originally, the Lake Lavon bridge study was a 2007 bond project. Commissioner Jerry Hoagland said during the previous court meeting that the project had been pushed back at least three times. Shaheen suggested going back to HNTB to renegotiate their rates and Judge Keith Self said that if ever there was a project where the county could make its point that they want engineering companies to bring competitive bids, this is the project.
This was the third price HNTB had provided the county. In the past they lowered their bid by 7 percent.
Collin County is trying to work out a deal to enter into a multi-county Groundwater Conservation District (GCD). Tracy Homfeld, director of engineering for Collin County, gave commissioners a status update on the effort. She said Cook County has expressed interest in joining in with Denton and Collin counties in a multi-county district.
This will help pay the costs for the district. Collin County would still be the county that uses the least amount of water out of the three counties. Homfeld said the county uses 3,000 acre feet per year of water, Cooke uses 5,000 and Denton uses 15,000 acre feet per year.
Homfeld said the board for the GCD is still being discussed; Commissioner Joe Jaynes suggested having three members from each county on the board. Judge Keith Self agreed and said the court should pass a resolution asking for equal representation.
Philip Sanders, city manager for Anna, spoke to the court about the GCD. He said Anna is the largest ground water producer in Collin County. In 2008, Anna produced 350 million gallons of ground water.
“Our city is 100 percent reliable on ground water for our citizens,” Sanders said. “For the near future we will be heavily reliant on ground water.”
Sanders said the city has invested heavily in infrastructure to supply water for citizens, but it is a costly process.
“Our primary concern is on the representation on the board; they will set budgets and decide how much will be spent,” Sanders said. “We, as a city, want to have a say in the makeup of that government body.”
Because Anna produces most of the ground water, Sanders said they would be qualified to help form the board.
The motion passed 3-1
The idea for a GCD came from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). They compiled a report that recommended that Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Hood, Johnson, Montague, Parker, Tarrant and Wise counties be designated as the North-Central Texas Trinity and Woodbine Aquifers as a Priority Groundwater Management Area (PGMA). They also suggested a regional, fee-funded GCD. A PGMA is an area, designated by TCEQ that is experiencing, or is expected to experience within 25 years, critical groundwater problems including shortages of surface water or groundwater, land subsidence resulting from groundwater withdrawal and contamination of groundwater supplies.
The court passed a motion approving a tri-county GDC to include Cook County, but also stated that they will agree to a nine-member board, three from each county and one rotating chair. The motion passed 3-1.
For information visit www.tceq.state.tx.us.
Contact Heather Smith at HSmith@acnpapers.com
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