Setting the record straight on the Lake Whitney Reallocation Study
By David Collinsworth, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently held a meeting in Hillsboro to receive public comments about a study looking into how the water stored in Lake Whitney could be better used in the future. It's called the Whitney Lake Reallocation Feasibility Study.
As the local sponsor, a number of Brazos River Authority employees attended the meeting to help answer questions and learned that there were serious misunderstandings about the study and the purpose of the proposed reallocation of Lake Whitney– specifically the incorrect belief that there will be a permanent lowering of the lake and that the water supply will be used for the many data centers being built in Texas.
I'd like to set the record straight and hope this information will help reduce the stress and concerns of everyone living around the lake, as well as those who enjoy visiting for recreation.
Let me give you some facts:
- The study looked at 8 different options for water use from Whitney Lake
- One option has been recommended by the study. It's called a Tentatively Selected Plan (TSP), and it has the greatest public benefit with the fewest negative impacts out of all other options
- Despite rumors, the TSP DOES NOT propose permanently lowering the lake level to 512 feet mean sea level (ft. msl). It enlarges the conservation pool to make more water available to support the needs of growing communities in the local area and the Brazos River basin.
- The current top of conservation pool level, established in 1973, of 533 ft. msl will NOT be changed.
- The study data show that lake elevations in the future with the TSP will be higher than they were historically from 1973-2014; this is the result of the fact that less overall water will be removed from the lake under the TSP than was the case when substantial quantities of water were regularly released through the hydropower turbines at the dam to produce electricity. Is there the potential that the lake level could drop lower during drought? Yes, but that risk always exists, even under the current operations, and droughts are temporary.
Following the presentation, comments were made specifically expressing concerns that the study was being done to provide water to several data centers being built in Texas. I'm not sure where this information came from, but it is incorrect.
The state of Texas is undergoing extreme growth. The population of the Brazos River Basin is expected to more than double by the year 2080, and water is a necessity for everything from maintaining human health to providing water to industry and agriculture. The Brazos River Authority's mission is to develop, manage and protect the water of the Brazos River Basin to meet the needs of this basin's population. To do that, we must develop additional water resources.
The Whitney Lake Reallocation Study was launched to consider whether the water stored in the reservoir might be used differently than it had in the past, which includes providing more water for a growing population. That being said, there are no agreements or discussions between the BRA and the owners of any data center for water supply.
It's important to remember that the BRA does not control growth or make decisions at the local level. We are simply a water provider trying to keep pace with the massive growth our basin is experiencing.
The other point of concern at the meeting was that the study was trying to permanently lower the lake level. That claim is not only false but is also the complete opposite of the study's purpose, which is to develop additional water supply. We understand recreation is important to Whitney Lake. We don't want to change that, and the proposed TSP won't change that.
Under the TSP, projections from this study show the lake levels will actually be higher than historical levels dating back to the early 1970s. Recreation will absolutely be able to continue as usual under these projections, and local property owners and businesses won't be negatively affected. Most importantly, the additional water resources will help to ensure that affordable water will continue to flow from faucets well into the future. This will benefit the local area, the region, and the entire basin.
If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Brazos River Authority at information@brazos.org or 888-922-6272.