Council resolves to oppose water deal
V. Hugh Lewis II/Jefferson Jimplecute
After almost 90 minutes of public comment, the Jefferson City Council unanimously approved a resolution opposing “any sale or transfer of water rights or additional allocation of water from Lake O’the Pines by NETMWD which would negatively impact local water availability, affordability, or long-term sustainability of northeast Texas.”
Public comments from a packed room echoed sentiments from previous meetings concerning the impact to LOP and Caddo Lake.
“I reside 10 minutes from the lake and have been there 57 years as of July 1st,” said Lone Star resident Mary Spearmon. “Water is life sustaining for us. Please don’t sell our water.”
Jefferson representative to NETMWD George Otstott opened the meeting with his quarterly report to Council.
“North Texas MWD has wanted to purchase water for 10 years out of Lake O’the Pines and it’s not the only water they’re interested in buying” Otstott said. “But, we’re no closer to a deal than we were in December.
“In December I thought we’d have a deal in about 2 months, shame on me for saying that,” Ostott continued. “Now, negotiations, of which I’m not a part of, are no closer to a deal than I thought were in December. I have not had any indication of being closer to a deal. The more I have heard, is that now its maybe a lease.
“I’m wholly against selling the water and against any of the water leaving Northeast Texas,” he said. “I’ve told [the NETMWD board] that I won’t be bullied on how to vote by the board directors. I represent the City of Jefferson, and if it says [not to sell] then that’s what I’m going to tell them. I’m looking forward to taking this resolution back to NETMWD board next week. I’ve got to vote the way this board tells me. Personally, I don’t think there will be a presentation [of a contract] to the City any time soon.”
Ward 3 Alderman Robin Moore asked Otstott about the difference in sale vs lease, and if any of the current water sales were sales or leases.
NETMWD COO Dominik Sobieraj explained that currently all of the contracts NETMWD has are leases. A lease is where one sells the raw, untrested, water for a set amount of time. When that time is over, the access to that water returns to NETMWD.
A water rights sale is when water is sold for a set period of time, but when the time is up, the buyer keeps their access.
Incoming Ward 2 Alderman Paul Keith posted on FaceBook his concerns over the resolution.
“Just because a town passes a resolution against the sale of water rights doesn’t mean a lot right now. People need to understand that it is a temporary vote against it because there has been no official contracts presented to the cities to vote on and no one knows when it will be presented,” he wrote. “Aldermen on the council come and go so a resolution against the sale can easily be overturned by a future council that might think differently.”
NETMWD will meet at 6p Monday March 25, in Hughes Springs. An agenda has not been posted as of press time to their website.