Wise County forges ahead with creating water utility as growth strains supply
Wise County leaders are forging ahead with plans to bring more surface water to the area to meet demands brought on by growth after legislation to form a water district failed in Austin earlier this year.
Rodney Holmes, the mayor of Boyd who is helping with plans to create the West Fork Public Utility Agency, said that it is crucial to bring in more water as the area continues to grow.
“The reason we are doing this is to protect people in Wise County,” he said. “If we keep drilling wells in Wise County, they will start going dry in 2040. Which ones will be dry? The ones that were here first.”
On July 16, the Wise County Mayor’s Coalition met in Decatur to discuss forming the West Fork Public Utility Agency, which doesn’t need legislative approval. Funding will come from the entities that join the public utility agency and from the sale of water and wastewater sales. Tax dollars will not be used, Holmes said.
Holmes said nine cities and several special utility districts are expected to approve resolutions during the next several months to create the agency. The cities include Boyd, Rhome, Newark, New Fairview, Alvord and Decatur. Walnut Creek is among the special utility districts.
Wise County officials are also talking to the Tarrant Regional Water District about getting surface water from Eagle Mountain Lake, which is close to southeastern Wise County, where much of the growth is taking place.
Eagle Mountain receives some of its water supply via a pipeline from Richland Chambers and Cedar Creek lakes in East Texas.
Holmes added that Boyd has plans in the works to drill three wells and a transmission line to handle increasing water needs.
Chad Lorance, a spokesman for the TRWD, said in an email to the Star-Telegram that the agency is evaluating the request from Wise County to get the water from Eagle Mountain Lake.
“We have had discussions with the Wise County Mayors’ Coalition, and are currently evaluating how we can meet those demands without negatively impacting Eagle Mountain Lake or compromising our water supply reliability to our existing raw water customers.”
Holmes said conservation efforts such as rain water capture and using more native plants are also important to finding a solution to the water shortage.
Like Holmes, Rhome Mayor Kenneth Crenshaw said he is pleased with the proposal to form the public utility agency.
“Something has to be done quickly to fix our water problems,” he said. “People have to know that water is going to be as valuable as oil in the future if we don’t do something to bring water to Wise County.”
This story was originally published July 29, 2025 at 1:02 PM.