The Northeast Regional Water Planning Group (Region D) moved forward Wednesday with the development of Round 3 components of its new regional water plan for 19 East Texas counties.

Meeting at Mount Pleasant, the Group voted to conditionally authorize inclusion in the initially prepared plan two ecologically unique stream segments, Pecan Bayou, a stream located in the Red River basin in Red River County, and Black Cypress Bayou and Creek, a segment of the Cypress Creek basin.

Group member Jim Eidson said the Pecan Bayou segment has significant conservation efforts in place or underway and is one of the few areas in Texas where the rare black bear has been sighted in the vicinity of the stream.

However, Wayne Dial, city manager of Clarksville in Red River County, said the inclusion of Pecan Bayou will limit the options of Red River County to build a reservoir in the future.

“If this designation takes place, all it is doing is stopping the development of Red River County,” he said.

Black Cypress Bayou, a major tributary of Caddo Lake, is the home of rare and endangered species, including the paddle fish, a prehistoric-like fish that can attain lengths of seven feet, said Walt Sears, administrator of the Water Planning Group.

The group also approved six chapters of the initially prepared plan for Round 3 with comments and suggestions from water entities in the region and members of the Planning Group. The initally prpared plan will be further discussed on February 11 and further action is anticipated at that time.

Ray Flemons of Dallas, chief engineering consultant for the Planning Group, outlined the six proposed chapters to be included in the initial version of the new regional plan.

One addition specified that before any new reservoir should be considered in the Sulphur River basin within Region D, the raising of water levels in Wright Patman Reservoir should be considered as a possible additional source of supply by the Texas Legislature.

Another revision to the draft clarified the position that Marvin Nichols Reservoir, which has been proposed for the Sulphur River, is not consistent with the Northeast Regional Water Plan.

Keith Bonds of the City of Longview suggested that the draft be clarified about a

proposed pipeline that would carry water from Toledo Bend Reservoir on the Sabine River. He said it could be a viable alternative to supply water for some water entities in Northeast Texas.

The planning group also authorized a request to the Texas Water Development Board, asking the board’s staff to perform a socioeconomic impact analysis of water management strategies and related activities in Northeast Texas.

Flemons said the Northeast Texas Group’s final regional plan should be

completed in August of this year after all interested persons have reviewed the initially prepared plan, provided comments, and the group has edited the plan as appropiate to the coments.

The planning group will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, February 11, starting at 1 p.m. in Mount Pleasant.

Region D serves all or portions of Bowie, Gregg, Camp, Cass, Delta, Franklin, Gregg, Harrison, Hopkins, Hunt, Lamar, Marion, Morris, Red River, Smith, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood counties.