Northeast Texas Municipal Water District votes General Manager out, new interim GM hired

During a meeting for the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District (NETMWD) on Monday, March 24, a change of venue was made from the usual Hughes Springs headquarters to the Morris County Annex– in order to accommodate the dozens of concerned citizens from multiple counties.

Some were still left standing as they watched the board members unanimously vote to remove General Manager Wayne Owens. Right after the vote, they approved the hiring of Osiris Brantley as the Interim General Manager.

Brantley is the Chief Financial Officer at NETMWD and has been working with the district for 15 years. She went to school in Hughes Springs and lives in Daingerfield with her husband.

Brantley said she’s been in the area for the majority of her life. Brantley told the Steel Bee that she was unaware that the decision to hire her as interim was going to be made during the board meeting.

“This was a surprise to me too. You never know how the board will vote,” Brantley said. “But I feel honored. I’ve been with this district for 15 years and I am one of the longest employees there, so it’s an honor that they would trust me for this job, even as interim.”

Similar to previous NETMWD meetings and multiple city council meetings within the seven cities that NETMWD serves, multiple residents and concerned officials came forward to speak during public comments about the potential Lake O’ the Pines water sale or lease.

Interim GM Brantley addressed these worries, “I understand the people’s concerns and I want to do what we’ve always done, which is to provide the highest quality of water to our cities and customers at the lowest cost possible.”

In public comments, among the nearly 20 speakers was former Avinger mayor, David Simpson. Simpson brought up data from a recent conference between Caddo Lake Institute, biologists, engineers, scientists, and Aqua Strategies.

“Aqua Strategies showed what the lake levels would be if the flows necessary for the health of our downstream neighbors and a demand for water of 122,085-acre feet per year from Lake O’ the Pines and 23,000-acre feet per year from Ellison Creek Reservoir were met,” Simpson said.

“From 2000 to 2021 the model shows the lake levels dropping way below SWEPCO’s intakes, to 201 feet, the bottom of the conservation pool and the top of the dead pool—not once, but twice in 2007 and 2013. Draining the lake to the top of the dead pool would not only ruin recreation, but water quality, aquatic life and our precious cypress forests. Science shows that flowing water through the lake is not wasted, it does not just go to the Gulf; it sustains life all along the way.”

Mayor of the City of Lone Star, Brianna McClain also made her stance on the possible sale/lease clear, “It is a short-sighted decision that undermines the long-term sustainability of our communities, our ecosystems, and our future generations. Water is not just a commodity, it is the lifeblood of our towns, our agriculture, and our people.”

Among public comments was also Cody Wommack, former council member for Lone Star, who addressed the role of general manager for NETMWD before the voting even began.

“My first look into the water district was when my partner told me to look at the salary of general manager,” Wommack said.

“And some of the numbers I’ve heard bandied about with the proposed sale– while we don’t know exactly– were $40 to $50-million over 20 years. And the $220,000 salary of Wayne Owens over 20 years is $4.4-million. That’s already a significant chunk. So my comment is to please consider not filling this position right away or not filling it at all.”

Brantley stated that they have not received any official proposals or plans from the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD), only that they have shown interest and have been in talks with them. The proposals seen on NTMWD’s website are drafts that have not been directly brought to NETMWD.

However, Nelson Roach, a lawyer in Daingerfield and resident of Morris County who has allocated millions of dollars in watershed efforts to benefit Lake O’ the Pines, told the Bee in an interview, “If you look at the non-disclosure agreement that was passed out at the meeting, it says that confidential information will be shared between NTMWD and NETMWD, U.S. Steel, Luminate, and SWEPCO. So that is absolutely not true.”

“Also, Wayne Owens made a presentation to the Lone Star city council and he said that U.S. Steel was in negotiation as part of this big deal to sell their water rights to the North Texas water department– but they could not sell their water rights, unless NETMWD sold their water rights; and that is all recorded. There is video of it.”

Right now, hundreds of county residents, leaders, and environment officials continue to voice their outcry at this possible deal about Lake O’ the Pines water.

The board members of NETMWD have not given any indication on whether they will reject or approve the potential water sale.