Red River, Cass Counties pass resolutions opposing Marvin Nichols Reservoir

The battle against the Marvin Nichols reservoir continues to heat up. It has been a hot topic for several years now, however, this year Preserve Northeast Texas, a group of landowners, business owners, community leaders, conservationists, and local elected officials have banded together to stop Marvin Nichols and protect the region from one of the biggest transfers of private land to the public in modern history. As the push continues, this week, the Commissioners of Red River and Cass Counties passed resolutions opposing the Marvin Nichols Reservoir and calling for it to be removed from the Texas state water plan.

Kenny Mitchel noted in an article earlier this year that “Region C has long wanted the construction of the 66,000-acre lake in their water plan and in the state water plan. The efforts of those in Region D (Northeast Texas) have thwarted those efforts in the past by a variety of means, including a lawsuit, but those efforts were unsuccessful this year. The Region D recommendations for the 2022 state water plan included provisions noting that the construction of Marvin Nichols was unnecessary.”

“These votes demonstrate the widespread opposition to Marvin Nichols throughout Northeast Texas,” said Bill Ward, a member of the Preserve Northeast Texas steering committee. “Those promoting the reservoir can use eminent domain to take tens of thousands of acres of family farms, ranches and timberland from Texas landowners. We are grateful for the excellent leadership of Red River and Cass County officials who are standing up for our community and our way of life. We urge every elected official in our region to show the same leadership.”

Travis Ransom, Mayor of the City of Atlanta also testified in favor of the resolution opposing the reservoir. This resolution mirrors the resolution previously passed by the city of Atlanta. “These resolutions demonstrate broad local opposition to this potentially devastating project. I’m happy to see Cass County formally oppose the Marvin Nichols Reservoir and look forward to other municipalities and counties following suit.”