Earlier this month, the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) officially dedicated Bois d’Arc Lake, the first new major reservoir in Texas in nearly 30 years and a future supplier of water to NTMWD cities (including Richardson). While the dedication ceremony marked the end of construction on the 16,641-acre lake, located in Fannin County, public recreation opportunities such as boating and fishing won’t be available until lake levels rise, and the lake won’t be part of our water supply until a new water treatment plant is completed. Currently, the lake is about 36 percent full. The treatment plant, located in Leonard, is in the final phases of construction and is expected to be operational next year.
As part of the project, more than 17,000 acres of nearby land was mitigated to pre-agricultural conditions, including planting 6.3 million trees, enhancing 8,500 acres of wetlands, restoring 70 miles of streams and planting 3,200 acres of native grassland.
Website: www.boisdarclake.org
