Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham has announced that the Texas-Oklahoma border along the south side of Lake Texoma has been moved with the assistance of the General Land Office and the Red River Boundary Commission.
The state line was moved to include the Texas Municipal Water District’s Lake Texoma Raw Water Pump Station within the state.
Land Commissioner Buckingham explained that moving the state line secured and ensured the availability of 30 percent of the drinking water supply for 2 million people within the locality.
“As Texas Land Commissioner, it is my honor to work on behalf of all Texans and bring solutions to the table to benefit our great state. This redrawn boundary line will ensure that millions of north Texans’ water comes from a secure source in Texas,” stated Buckingham.
“I am proud of the GLO’s surveying team for playing such a significant role in settling this boundary issue by using their mapping skills and expertise. Surveying has been a vital part of the GLO since the establishment of this agency in 1836.”
The NTMWD water pumping station was built in 1989 and resided fully in Texas at the time.
In 2000, Texas and Oklahoma entered into the Red River Boundary Compact, which authorized the movement of the Oklahoma-Texas line. When the state line was redrawn, it placed the majority of the water pumping station in Oklahoma.
U.S. Game Fish & Parks discovered that the pumping station was mostly in Oklahoma in 2010 after zebra mussels were found in Lake Texoma and water pumping ceased.
The pumping station, being located mostly in Oklahoma, violated the Lacey Act, which prohibits the transport of invasive species across state lines.
Pumping commenced in 2014 after a congressional exemption from the Lacey Act was granted, and a new pipeline was built, which carried the water straight to the treatment facility.
Now that the line has been redrawn, 1.34 acres and the NTMWD water pump station have been transferred to Texas, and an equal 1.34 acres have been transferred to Oklahoma.
“We’re pleased we’ve reached an agreement with our partners in Oklahoma ensuring continued use of our Lake Texoma pump station to provide water to our rapidly growing service area,” stated Jenna Covington, Executive Director and General Manager of North Texas Municipal Water District.
“This agreement secures a vital water supply for the region, as Lake Texoma accounts for approximately 20 percent of NTMWD’s permitted water supplies that serve more than two million North Texans.”
