Preserving Texas In the News

Officials should act quickly to protect stretch of Neches from submersion under proposed reservoir

As the Neches River winds through 38 miles of East Texas bottomland and forest in Anderson and Cherokee Counties, it nurtures a ecological wonderland. It's an irreplaceable habitat for plants and animals, and provides recreational assets for hunting, fishing and camping within easy driving distance of Houston.

Unfortunately, a plan to shield the natural treasures of the Neches with a 25,000-acre federal wildlife refuge has collided head-on with the aims of regional planners to build a similar size impoundment, Fastrill Reservoir, as part of a series of projects to guarantee future water supplies for Dallas and North Texas. If the lake is built, the waters would submerge most of the proposed refuge, impairing the flow of the Neches south through the Big Thicket.

The federal plan would preserve important wintering habitat for mallard and wood ducks, as well as a large number of other wildlife and plant species, including endangered bald eagle and the red-cockaded woodpecker. The land for the refuge would be purchased from willing property owners. The reservoir process would use eminent domain to forcibly take parcels.

An unusual coalition of environmentalists, local residents and timber company operators is campaigning to save the river. They argue that there is enough water from existing reservoirs to meet North Texas needs until the year 2060, and the Fastrill project would not even come on line until 2045. Jim Thompson, the chairman of the Northeast Texas Water Planning Group and an executive of Ward Timber Ltd., told the Chronicle "any benefit we might get in terms of water is outweighed by the harm to our economy." Another area resident, Max Shumate, questioned "why I should lose my heritage so that Dallas can have St.Augustine lawns."

The head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Dale Hall, is scheduled to announce early next month whether plans for the refuge, under consideration since 1988, will move forward. Luke Metzger, a spokesman for Austin-based Environment Texas, urges those in favor of protecting the river to make their opinions known to Hall as well as the state's two U.S. senators, Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn.

An adequate future water supply for North Texas can be achieved without drowning the ecosystem of the Neches as well as damaging a local economy increasingly geared to parks and recreational activities as well as timber. Federal officials should heed the calls of concerned Texans and grant refuge to the endangered river.