“Acceptance of this plan is a result of collaboration between the North Texas Municipal Water District, Texas A&M AgriLife, and watershed stakeholders,” said Galen Roberts, Watershed Manager at the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD). “We received valuable input in the development of the plan from local residents, agricultural producers, business and industry representatives, city and county personnel, as well as other interested parties.”
These stakeholders, along with representatives from state and federal agencies, participated in a number of meetings of the Lavon Lake Watershed Partnership in 2017 to help shape the final plan.
"We want to thank these stakeholders and our agency partners for their commitment and contributions to improve and protect Lavon Lake, one of our region’s most important water resources," said Roberts.
Lavon Lake is a primary source of water supply for the NTMWD, which provides drinking water to utilities that serve about 1.7 million residents in North Texas. Although Lavon Lake meets all state and federal standards for water quality, Wilson Creek and the East Fork of the Trinity River above Lavon Lake are impaired due to elevated levels of bacteria. A key goal of the Lavon Lake WPP is to address these impairments and ensure Lavon Lake continues to maintain good water quality.
"With the acceptance of the plan, management measures identified in the WPP are now eligible for grant funding," said Liza Parker, Project Manager for the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board. The Collin County Soil and Water Conservation District and NTMWD have both applied for grants to begin implementing management measures identified in the Lavon Lake WPP.
Parker encourages stakeholders to play an active role in these efforts by joining the Lavon Lake Watershed Partnership. The Partnership is open to the public and the next meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 13, 2018, from 3:00-4:30 p.m. at the Myers Park and Event Center in McKinney.
More information on the Lavon Lake Watershed Protection Plan is available at www.ntmwd.com/watershed or by contacting Galen Roberts at (469) 626-4637 or groberts@ntmwd.com. Funding for this effort was provided through a State Nonpoint Source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.
About NTMWD
The North Texas Municipal Water District is a regional wholesale provider of water, wastewater and solid waste disposal services for approximately 1.6 million residents across 10 counties – a service territory covering 2,200 square miles. For more information, visit www.NTMWD.com.