What do you think about the proposed reservoir just outside of town?

As an avid fisherman, I would love to have a lake like that in our backyard.

But I understand that lots of people will be adversely affected by this, loss of land and home particularly, and for that I think it might not be the best idea.

Just my opinion, but I think that if they do build the reservoir, B/CS might explode. I imagine you would have lots of people looking to buy waterfront property that is no longer readily available in areas like Lake Conroe.

"First in Sight, Ready to Fight"

According to today's Eagle, the dam won't be built until 2040 under the current plans, so there's no big rush to panic or run out to buy a new bass boat.

[This message has been edited by Newbomb_Turk (edited 4/2/2010 10:10a).]

It is a horrible idea. Extremely expensive. There are many much smaller reservoir plans on the water board list that will have much less impact on people and habitat, and are more cost effective per acre foot and per foot of usable water.

Also, truck is right, I doubt it will be done in anyone on here's lifetime. And by that point, you could probably add a zero to the cost.

Typical KBTX, looking for news where there is none and stirring up the people.

[This message has been edited by BlueTeam02 (edited 4/2/2010 11:50a).]

I thought we were moving toward smaller off channel lakes.

Actually KBTX barely scratched the surface.

Likely everything you ever wanted to know about water in Texas here.
http://www.twdb.state.tx.us/wrpi/rwp/3rdRound/2010_IPP/RegionG/PDF%20Files/

Other interesting (unlikely) possibilities.
Millican-Bundic Reservoir



Little River Reservoir

where can we see a map of all the proposed lakes?

The presentation on the Millican Reservoir discussed last night can be found here: http://regionhwater.org/meetings/documents/20100401-Public_Hearing-Kimbro.pdf Go to page 21 of the PDF for a map and cost information.

The 16 Regional Water Planning Groups around the state are wrapping up their 2011 Regional Water Plans. Bryan and College Station are in Region G, and that plan can be found here: http://www.brazosgwater.org/439.html?&no_cache=1

[This message has been edited by egret (edited 4/9/2010 8:48a).]

A lake like that would be a HUGE growth opportunity for B/CS. The cities would start growing in a direction that until recently has been ignored. Imagine all of the businesses that would open to cater to visitors and boating and fishing enthusists.

I completely understand the dilema facing the landowners there. Property values may already be suffering. My Grandparents went through the eminent domain process 30 years ago due to a railroad being expanded. It was not easy, but as far as I know, they did receive appropriate compenstation. My question is, how many of the current homeowners expect their property to stay in their families for the next generation? Isn't it possible that their kids will be selling the property anyway (20-30 years down the line when this reservoir is expected to be built)? I am sure they could possibly be getting less money from the state than they would if they sold it outright, but their property won't sit on the market for years and have to deal with that.

I may be naive in my understanding of the whole process, but I see this as something that could potentially benefit millions of Texas citizens (Houston, Bryan, College Station and more residents).

I was at the meeting last night in Madisonville, Region H only has very preliminary survey data on what could be constructed in that area - nobody is taking steps to actually build the reservoir. But if they do, at some time in the future, then the location of the dam and exact boundaries of it would be up for discussion and decisions would have to be made. If anybody has questions, I'll do my best to answer them.

Just sounds like it would bring an increase of traffic in our area at the expense of the property owners. Something else for the spoiled citizens to complain about.

Bait shops and bars! Bring em on! It could be the next Somerville!

I would LOVE to see a nice big lake created in our backyard but it does look like it won't happen anytime soon.

quote:

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I imagine you would have lots of people looking to buy waterfront property that is no longer readily available in areas like Lake Conroe.

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Gonna tell you what I heard, not saying it's gospel..only what I heard.

I heard that this would probably be a Corp of Engineers project which would make it like Somerville in the fact that they would NOT sell lake side property for development. It would be a completely different creature than Conroe

In the thirty years I have been in and around this town, this will be the fifth plan to make a reservoir on the Navasota somewhere along the Brazos County border.

Usually, what happens is that a bunch of greedy types up and buy "lakefront" property, and the land "swaps" wind up busting the eminent domain budget and squash the project.

We really need to get out of wells drilled into aquifers and into surface water retention, just for the quality and capacity for water for our community. That the Navasota might get some flood control is a minor plus.

Having seen this before, I'd really rather see 3-4 smaller retention reservoirs rather than one large "recreational" lake.

But, that's my bias' others' differ.

Bring it on. We'll definitely need the water. Plus by the time they build it, flood it, and stock it I'll be ready to retire and fish all the time.

CapnMac and Kyle,
I think the water is for Houston, not for us.
Would this project impact the Wellborn surface water treatment plant downstream? (Dunno, I'm asking)

ksevern - who the water goes to would depend completely on who sponsors the project, how it's funded, etc. None of that has been determined yet.

this reservoir replaces the smaller little river project. The main issue region H wants to do is make the 71,000 acres and land close to it a Unique Reservoir Site. This legislative designation limits the use of ones property. it means that this footprint of land has only one future use, that of a reservoir. who would want to buy your property that one day, 10, 20 or 40 years from now may be a reservoir. stop the focus on the building of the reservoir and concentrate on stopping the unique designation. If you cant stop the legislature from designation it a reservoir site, slowly as your land values decrease, the reservoirs become more cost effective

millican strategy is for region h customers in the lower brazos river (ft bend and brazoria). If developed the sponsor would be the gulf coast water authority. this goes back to the unique site designation -- if designated this protects this water from competing uses.( texas water development board Q & A unique reservoir sites)
region h customers wants this designation to keep all the water for themselves, and not for BCS. But I am sure they will sell BCS the surplus for a big profit. Millican is not recommended as a stratgy or unique status in the G plan (brazos)
BCS loses the water, then the tax revenue off the flooded land.

joz - a couple points to add to your posts: There are several agencies that could "sponsor" construction of the reservoir, it could be the Brazos River Authority, or a coalition of Cities and MUDs - it does not necessarily have to be the Gulf Coast Water Authority. Also, if Region H requests the "Unique Reservoir Site" designation, and the TWDB grants it, that does NOT mean all the water would then go to Region H. All it would mean is the site is less likely to be diverted to some other use. Lastly, the draft Region G water plan shows Millican as a possible water source for both College Station and Bryan.

to waterworks, thanks for the clarification, it is much appreciated. If there was just a little more clarity at these past Region H meetings, that would have helped. Region H can't predict the future, but could have answered a few more questions than they did. Like the typo on the elevation, still not clear?

The engineers don't vote on the IPP, only the planning group members do. The planning members could have answered one or two questions out of the 100 or so asked. How can you vote on a plan and not defend your actions. The engineers only put out suggestions to vote on, they have no voice. I am hoping in the next couple of months, a few of group members give a small response, just a brief reason why they voted as they did.

Can anyone tell me how much in taxes are being collected by those 71,000 acres, and how much our property taxes will go up to cover the lost income at the city, school district, and county levels?

What about the proximity of the new landfill and how that will affect the lake? Will College Station have to scrap that site and move? What are the environmental impacts if the landfill stays?

I was at the Conroe meeting, and the Board seems to have no idea of what they are doing.

As for lake front property, there is no telling how this lake will be managed (the Board couldn't tell us anything about it - they said that's not their decision). It could be managed like Lake Somerville, with no lake front property and limited access to the public, or it could be open development like Lake Conroe.

There is unique habitat and several endangered species in the area. Habitat reclamation will NOT work because some of these endangered species rely upon the river flow. The Sierra Club is aware of this project and was represented at the meeting in Conroe (openly against the projected dam).

The property owners do NOT get compensated for their current property value. The number we were told was $1,200 per acre. That means the new and expensive subdivisions and the million dollar homes that will be flooded will have to file bankruptcy and take losses. That will affect local banks and credit unions holding those mortgages.

This information is coming from the HOUSTON water board, and this water is ear-marked for Houston. How are they going to get it there? Pipe it for 100 miles?

Houston already has three lakes that are supposed to be their water supply: Lake Houston, Lake Conroe, and Lake Livingston. If those lakes aren't enough, why not?

We were told (with no numbers to back them up) that desalination was too costly and not an option, and they said they legally cannot claim water from free flowing rivers in their area.

Their population numbers are based upon growth from 2000 to 2006. These numbers include population transfer from Hurricane Rita and Katrina. These numbers also include illegal immigration. For population to grow, you must have approximately 2.1 children per family. Current U.S. citizens reproduce at a much lower rate (I don't remember the figure, but I believe it to be around the 1.6 level). These inflated population projections are basically telling us we have to give up 71,000 acres in order to provide water to the addition population influx from illegal aliens (some projections are 72,000 acres to include habitat reclamation and flood plain protection).

This proposal was made over 50 years ago (and even passed in theory in the 80's but couldn't get funding to go forward). We were told it's the same proposal with updated numbers.

The Board cannot or will not clarify what water levels/elevation levels will be used.

These are just some of the comments and information floating around out there. I would very much like to see some serious investigative journalism take place and find out what's really going on.

I would like to see Texas A&M departments get involved to do impact statements, including how the local economy will be affected, wildlife impact, recreational uses, habitat reclamation, and develop other options to present to the Houston water board.

Currently Houston water district has no water conservation laws in effect, and yet the Board is recommending this huge lake 100 miles away to supply possible future water needs. This seems far fetched to me.

The bottom line is that someone (or some corporation) will be making a huge amount of money from this project. Perhaps that could be another A&M departmental study - find out where the money is coming from and where it will go (especially if it will be managed like Lake Somerville with no lake front property at all). When asked at the Conroe meeting who would be making the money off this project, the water board member with the microphone just smirked.

There is a group formed to fight this proposed dam called the Guardians of the Navasota. They have a facebook page, and are building a web site. They already have their paperwork for non-profit status and have officers in place.

I just want answers, and right now, no one is willing or able to provide them.

Thanks so much for the links provided in previous posts. Any additional information is greatly appreciated!

(edited to clarify)

[This message has been edited by Txagclan (edited 4/9/2010 10:57a).]

Txagclan:

I don't have a dog in this fight and can see pros and cons. However, your thoughts about Houston not growing ignores a host of issues.

You are corect, Katrina did have an effect on Houston growth; however, the city is , and will continue to grow.
1)your estimate on fertility rate is low. According to the World Bank the US is at 2.1/woman http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=wb-wdi&met=sp_dyn_tfrt_in&idim=country:USA&dl=en&hl=en&q=united+states+fertility+rate
2)Wether the growth is caused by illegals or not, the growth is occuring. A water board does not have the authority to enforce immigration laws.
3) You are forgetting about the urbanization of the United States. Individuals are moving from rural areas to urban centers such as Houston. Also, individuals are moving from other states to Texas at a rate higher than individuals leaving Texas.

Again, I know way too little about this issue to have an opinon; I just wanted to point out that Houston is growing and will continue to grow.

I think by that time (2040) there will need to be something available to CS other than ground water due to rising salt levels.

To bad I won't be able to enjoy it as a young man...

one area to look at for info is the river authorities as they will develop reservoirs. the BRA and TRA can't not tax us, they only make monies building reservoirs and selling water. They employ a huge contract engineering firms and are paid well, studying, proposing, running cost basis, ect ect ect. the engineers needs large long term money projects so they propose long term projects. and the river authorities needs new reservoirs to keep themselves growing.
Region H is Run by the San Jacinto River Authority or Houston. When you write your letter to region H, it is care on SJRA. The region H headquarters is at the SJRA. The general Mgr for Region H is the same person that is the general mgr for region H. Look even closer and you will find everyone is connected some way of another today or in the past. dig here at the SJRA

Navasota River Bottom is one of the last natural flooding river left in Texas. It hasn't been screwed up that much, but this project will destroy it so Houston folks can water grass and wash cars.

Thanks, Skeet,

I don't have a dog in this fight either, however I have close friends with land in the area, and they have opposing views. Those who would lose their lands and livelihoods are against the project. The ones who have land above the possible flood mark want lake front property. What they don't realize is that if they are that close to the water level, their property may be also taken as was the case in the Lake Somerville construction. Does the proposal get approved (and/or designate the area as a future lake, halting all development) and then tell the land owners on the perimeter if they will be condemned or they will have lake front property? I'm sure those perimeter owners would like to know before it's too late!

From what I saw at the Conroe meeting, the Board members seem smug and over-confident. They would tell the group “go to the website – all the information is there.” When an audience member brought up the website and quoted their numbers own to them (elevation level), the board said “oh, that's a typo” or “oh, that's a mistake.”

It just seems to me that this will burden our future generations with a huge tax burden (above and beyond the Federal deficit). The price quoted by the board is for construction only. Additional taxes would need to be levied to cover costs of managing the dam over time, as well as construction of at least two different miles-long bridges to reconnect Hwy 21 and Hwy 30 across the lake. Of course, perhaps there are no plans to reconnect those highways, and we'd have to travel north or south around the lake to travel east. We don't know because no one will tell us, or those decisions haven't been made. It also seems to me that the increased taxes would be taken from across Texas (certainly not from Houston alone).

* * *

Thanks Joz,

The additional taxes I was talking about would be for the additional roads and bridges, and I didn't mean to say the water authorities would be levying any. I'm sorry for that confusion. Anyway, excellent information about who will be making money off this! I'll pass that information along. Thanks!

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BQ – I tend to agree. While I don't have a vested interest in this, I think that 71,000 acres of destroyed habitat is wasteful and unnecessary. By the way, I don't believe the Navasota is a naturally flooding river. The dam at Lake Limestone periodically decides to open it's gates. If you like, you can get on their notification list. They are supposed to notify everyone down river before they flood.

* * *

Thanks for the input!

Best of Blessings,
Texie '84

joz - yeah, I agree, the Region H folks were not prepared for that meeting in Madisonville. But I heard they did a much better job at the meeting two days later in Conroe, although that was probably a completely different audience.
Anyway, I am going to stay plugged in regarding the content of Region H's water plan that will be submitted to TWDB, and if I hear of any changes I'll post it here.

Txagclan - You asked a lot of good questions, I don't know about Houston's water issues, but I can respond to 3 of them:
1. The new BVSWMA landfill in Grimes county could be on the skirts of the reservoir, depending on dam location and water level. But the effects are manageable, it would just take some money to keep the water and landfill separated.
2. The cost of desalination is getting better, but still very high. We looked at it for CS, and the cost of deep well injection for the brine waste flow made it prohibitive. If the waste stream could go out into the Gulf, it might change the economics, but I have no idea whether that's feasible. There is new process I've heard about lately that has zero liquid waste, only a powder. Over the next many years, I'm hopeful the cost of de-sal will come down dramatically.
3. Please keep in mind that nobody is taking action to build this reservoir yet. It's kind of like when a city does zoning - they say this parcel would be great for a shopping mall. But until a developer comes along with money and gets permits, all the speculation in the world means nothing. The Millican Reservoir is the same thing, the "Unique Reservoir Site" designation would be like a zoning put on the property. And as Joz points out so well, that could affect property values.

AgCPA - You raise a good point about the salt water. For many years, the line between potable and brackish water in the Simsboro has remained stationary. We will be watching it carefully as the pumping in the potable region increases. But this is a side reason we looked at de-sal options, because it might become necessary in the future to pump the brackish region, to prevent salt intrusion from creeping up-dip.

joz - same is true for Region G. It's officed at the BRA (Brazos River Authority) headquarters in Waco, and is heavily influenced by them. But the representation is from all different stakeholder groups from all across the Region, so I believe good decisions are made.

Txagclan - You mentioned highway relocations. I believe if the dam were constructed where it's shown on the Region H map, Hwy 30 would have to be relocated to run roughly parallel to Tonkaway Lake Road, and come around the dam to rejoin the existing roadway headed to Carlos. BUT - that might not be the actual location, if the dam were actually built. My personal opinion, which is worth what you've paid for it, is that a better location would be a bit north, so that Hwy 30 could stay right where it is. Of course, since I don't have $1.4 billion in my checkbook, I don't get to make that decision.

Txagclan you're right. I know the flow is controlled upstream but it still a very good function river with a huge natural flood plain that hasn't been really screwed up by clearing and draining.

Why don't they just dredge out Lake Houston and Lake Conroe to put it back to it's original capacity. If it's all about water screw those people with lake front property.

BQ 90 - I've asked that same question, about dredging the existing reservoirs, and the answer I got was ... cost. The quantity of material they'd have to dredge to make a difference is extremely large and the cost is prohibitive. I have not seen any numbers, or cost estimates, or studies at all - but I wanted to share with you what I've been told by folks who are more familiar with it than me.