Lake Texoma is in bad shape

[Garin]

By MICHAEL E. YOUNG
Staff Writer
Published: 28 December 2012 10:21 PM
Updated: 28 December 2012 11:23 PM
A bill that will allow the North Texas Municipal Water District to resume pumping water from Lake Texoma cleared its last hurdle Friday evening when President Barack Obama signed it into law.
The exemption to the Lacey Act on invasive species means the water district can begin taking water from Texoma again as soon as its $300 million, 46-mile pipeline project is completed next fall.
“I’m a lot better today than I was,” Mike Rickman, the water district’s deputy director, said Friday evening. “The president signed it, and that was a good thing for us.”
Lake Texoma provided 28 percent of the district’s water supply until officials discovered a significant population of zebra mussels in the lake.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which supervises the lake, ordered the district to stop pumping in 2009 until it could devise a system that would prevent the mussels from spreading from the Red River Basin into Lavon Lake and the Trinity River Basin.
That meant building a pipeline to replace the district’s existing system, which pumped water from Texoma to the headwaters of Sister Grove Creek in Grayson County, and then flowed downstream to Lavon, the district’s primary reservoir.
The closed pipeline system will carry water directly to the district’s treatment plant in Wylie, where zebra mussels will be removed as part of the treatment process.
Rickman was grateful to members of the Texas congressional delegation, specifically Sen. John Cornyn and Reps. Ralph Hall, Pete Sessions and Sam Johnson, for pushing the bill into law.
“They and their staffs just did a miraculous job,” Rickman said.
The North Texas Municipal Water District provides water to more than 1.6 million customers in the fast-growing suburbs north and east of Dallas.

[Garin]

Here's some recent photos from this weekend at Solider Creek marina

[Mel]

They'll suck that lake dry.

[Dubya61]

Is that retribution for not letting them get more water from Oklahoma sources?

[Snowman]

Is that retribution for not letting them get more water from Oklahoma sources?

Those are two different groups (the one that lost was in the Fort Worth area, this is the North Dallas suburbs like Plano), given the district's other major lakes in Texas looked similarly below normal, I would bet this was the more politically expedient decision than doing more conservation. Though the water lost for generating power, water lost through evaporation and generally low rain volume in the red river catchment area contribute as well.

[Just the facts]

The water to keep all that grass in Plano green has to come from somewhere but I am really surprised anyone in OKC is concerned about it, especially after OKC sucked another lake in Oklahoma dry last year.

[RadicalModerate]

Just think of Lake Texoma as The Canton Lake of Dallas and everything will be OK. (See?)
(happy, happy, happy . . .)

[OKCisOK4me]

I thought I once saw a video of an engineer explaining that they could only divert their extra water from Texoma if it was at a certain level...which would respectfully be higher than shown in those pictures.

[RadicalModerate]

I thought I once saw a video of an engineer explaining that they could only divert their extra water from Texoma if it was at a certain level...which would respectfully be higher than shown in those pictures.

Ever heard that old joke about the doctor, the lawyer, the engineer and the malfunctioning guillotine?
(it can probably be googled)

[OKCisOK4me]

Ever heard that old joke about the doctor, the lawyer, the engineer and the malfunctioning guillotine?
(it can probably be googled)

I don't get what that has to do with anything...

[RadicalModerate]

Are you an engineer?

[RadicalModerate]

"I thought I once saw a video of an engineer explaining that they could only divert their extra water from Texoma if it was at a certain level...which would respectfully be higher than shown in those pictures."

"I don't get what this has to do with anything . . ."

Please let me simplify this.

[c/o The Internets and The Magic of C&P . . . with a couple of minor character changes]

For some reason, I often think of this old joke:

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the midst of the French Revolution the revolting citizens led a priest, a drunkard and an engineer to the guillotine. They ask the priest if he wants to face up or down when he meets his fate. The priest says he would like to face up so he will be looking towards heaven when he dies. They raise the blade of the guillotine and release it. It comes speeding down and suddenly stops just inches from his neck. The authorities take this as divine intervention and release the priest.

The drunkard comes to the guillotine next. He also decides to die face up, hoping that he will be as fortunate as the priest. They raise the blade of the guillotine and release it. It comes speeding down and suddenly stops just inches from his neck. Again, the authorities take this as a sign of divine intervention, and they release the drunkard as well.

Next is the engineer. He, too, decides to die facing up. As they slowly raise the blade of the guillotine, the engineer suddenly says, "Hey, I see what your problem is ..."

For further clarification please refer to all references in here [on OKC Talk] regarding proper water management.
And the expressed perception thereof.
Thank you. =)

[mkjeeves]

It's not exactly Lake Optima, it flooded in 2007. Maybe some spring rains will help fill it up again. I haven't seen any stats but my guess is there are as many or more Texans using the lake for recreation as Okies, a lot of the same ones drinking from it. It's almost a suburb of Dallas now isn't it?

[Snowman]

It's not exactly Lake Optima, it flooded in 2007. Maybe some spring rains will help fill it up again. I haven't seen any stats but my guess is there are as many or more Texans using the lake for recreation as Okies, a lot of the same ones drinking from it. It's almost a suburb of Dallas now isn't it?

I don't think it they are considered suburbs just yet, the area did get added to DFW's combined statistical area.

[Garin]

Picture from today.

[Garin]

Won't be texting the boat out anytime soon

[Dubya61]

Won't be texting the boat out anytime soon

Well, one should not text and boat, anyway.

[RadicalModerate]

Well, one should not text and boat, anyway.

I agree with Garin that the Texoma situation is not good at all, but that has to be one of the most amazing typos ever.

[Garin]

Damn auto correct

[RadicalModerate]

Damn auto correct

Did you really mean "dam otter carrot"? =)
("Shut off the spellcheck, H.A.L." . . . "I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that.")