By Bob Bowman

Special to the Progress

NACOGDOCHES – State funds totaling $5 million have been authorized for the proposed Lake Columbia near Jacksonville and New Summerfield.

Temple McKinnon of the Texas Water Development Board advised the The East Texas Regional Water Planning Group group Wednesday, March 21 that the board has authorized $5 million in participation funds for the proposed Lake Columbia on Mud Creek east of Jacksonville and included proposed Lake Fastrill, on the Neches River southeast of Rusk, in the designations of new reservoir sites for Texas.

Bill Tetley, representing the Golden Triangle Sierra Club, appeared to protest the Lake Fastrill designation. He said the lake, if built, will decrease downstream flows to the Big Thicket and adversely impact wildlife, plant life and agriculture in the Neches River basin.

Tetley said Texas should not build lakes supplying water to regions, such as Dallas, without solid water conversation plans. He said Lake Fastrill will also become a development boom for Dallas real estate promoters.

The East Texas Regional Water Planning Group (Region I) has taken steps to begin planning work for the region’s 20 counties during the next 18 months.

Meeting in Nacogdoches, the group authorized its executive committee to finalize the scope of five planning proposals approved for funding by the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB).

The five projects include:

• The development of water strategies resulting from the proposed construction of a pipeline from Toledo Bend Reservoir to Lake Fork to provide water for the Dallas area and Northeast Texas.

• The development of regional solutions for small water suppliers unable to meet state environmental requirements.

• A study to separate municipal water uses into residential, commercial, light industrial and institutional categories to improve water conservation planning.

• The evaluation of using water from Lake Murvaul in Panola County, instead of groundwater, to meet the growing needs of an existing TXU electrical generating plant on Martin Lake.

• A study to document the impact of three proposed refineries and a liquid natural gas terminal in Jefferson County on water supplies in the region.

The five projects were among 11 planning proposals submitted to the TWDB for funding last year. The other six proposals were not funded for the current cycle.

Two group members, Kelley Holcomb and Bill Heugel of Hemphill, said the Toledo Bend pipeline will arouse public concerns because it represents interbasin water transfers, which have become controversial in Texas.

Work on the five projects will be started by the group’s engineering consulting team, headed by Gary Graham of Beaumont, later this year and will continue through 2009.

The group also elected a new slate of officers including chairman Kelley Holcomb of Lufkin, first vice-president Worth Whitehead of Rusk, second vice-president Mike Harbordt of Diboll, secretary David Brock of Jacksonville, assistant secretary Jerry Clark of Orange and at-large executive committee members Ernest Mosby of San Augustine and David Alders of Nacogdoches

Holcomb, an executive with the Angelina and Neches River Authority, will succeed Alders as president.

The group also named two new members to represent counties on the governing board. Cherokee County Judge Chris Davis of Rusk will succeed Houston County Judge Chris Von Doenhoff of Crockett, and Jeff Branick of Beaumont will succeed Jefferson County Judge Carl Griffith Jr. Both Von Doenhoff and Griffith resigned recently

The East Texas planning region includes all or parts of 20 counties, including Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Hardin, Henderson, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Panola, Polk, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Trinity and Tyler counties.