Arlington, other cities join Fort Worth with concerns over water district’s authority
City managers from Fort Worth, Arlington and four other Tarrant County cities have requested clarification about proposed changes to the Tarrant Regional Water District’s authority.
The water district maintains that changes to its general ordinance, which spells how the district regulates land and water in its jurisdiction, are focused on water quality not increasing its authority over development in North Texas. District assistant general manager Dan Buhman said he believes the cities and the district are “on the same page” regarding needed revisions, which he expects will be done in December.
The letter dated Nov. 10 spells out concerns similar to those Fort Worth City Manager David Cooke outlined for the Star-Telegram in August. City halls are worried revisions to the general ordinance would expand the water district’s authority and the language is “overly broad.”
Along with Cooke, city managers from Arlington, Mansfield, Euless, Haltom City and North Richland Hills signed the letter.
Revisions define the district’s service area as anywhere where it delivers raw water, an 11-county area that includes Tarrant, Denton and Parker counties.
The new ordinance adds a paragraph granting the water district authority to “regulate privileges on any land, easement or property interest adjoining a reservoir, stream, creek, tributary, river or other property owned or controlled by or subject to the jurisdiction of the District, including prevention of activities on adjoining land, easements, watercourses or property interests that could adversely affect the purity of water in this state.”
Cooke has said the changes are vague about where the water district’s authority to regulate development end.
“Collectively, we as stakeholders believe the ordinance is subject to interpretations that are overreaching and the effects of the ordinance could lead to adverse or conflicting actions within each of our jurisdictions,” the letter reads.
District officials have said the footprint of its authority authority over land use, about 2,500 acres, would not change.
“Really we have no intent to regulate developments across our entire service area,” Buhman said.
The letter requests the water district form a group made up of concerned parties to hash out the dispute. Buhman said the district is still tweaking the ordinance and will make the updated revision public in the coming weeks. At that point the district would welcome additional feedback.
Public comment about the ordinance will be taken through the end of the month.
