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Zebra mussel bill passes House, introduced in Senate
By Conner Hammett, chammett@starlocalnews.com
A bill that would allow the North Texas Municipal Water District to pump water from Lake Texoma directly to its Wylie treatment plant was introduced in the United States Senate Thursday.
The bill, known as the North Texas Zebra Mussel Barrier Act, grants the water district an exception to the Lacey Act, which prohibits the transport of invasive species across state lines, for use of a planned 46-mile pipeline directly between the lake and treatment plant.
The original version of the bill, sponsored by Rep. Ralph Hall, passed in the House on Monday.
The Senate version, sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn and cosponsored by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, was referred to the Senate Committee on Environmental and Public Works on Thursday.
"This bill will allow the Texoma water pump to reopen and provide water to the more than 1.5 million people served by the North Texas Municipal Water District and Greater Texoma Utility Authority," a written statement from Cornyn issued to the media Friday reads. "It's a common-sense piece of legislation that helps Texans."
The water district, which represents Plano and 12 other member cities, has long advocated for legislative relief to the Lacey Act.
Texoma, which represents 28 percent of the district's water supply, has been shut off from pumping since June 2009 due to the presence of zebra mussels.
The district hopes to bring that supply back online without contaminating other reservoirs using the 20planned $300 million pipeline, but a 2000 realignment of state boundaries caused seven of the district's eight pumps at Texoma to fall in Oklahoma, placing the transportation of Texoma's mussel-carrying water under federal jurisdiction.
Denise Hickey, NTMWD spokeswoman, said the district has been working to get a zebra mussels bill introduced for about three years. NTMWD Executive Director Jim Parks testified to a House subcommittee last month in support of the legislation, and NTMWD staff members will return to Washington to address the Senate regarding its version of the bill soon, she said.
"We think it's a very positive step toward getting our Texoma supply restored," Hickey said. "In addition to the Lacey Act, we will also go back to try and work with the Texas legislature, Oklahoma and then Congress on getting that new state line boundary ... to where we are moved back into the state of Texas."
Plano Mayor Phil Dyer, who visited Washington with NTMWD officials last month, commended Hall and Congressman Pete Sessions for their part in drafting the bill, but said its passage in the House is only the first step to relief.
"It's a very challenging issue, and the solution that the water district has proposed is an expensive one, but it's all on our backs," he said. "There's no state money. There's no federal money. The users in the water district are going to be paying for an almost $300 million fix, so common sense would say, 'We're going to fix the problem with our money. Why would the government object?'"
Completion of the pipeline is still planned for fall 2013, Hickey said. About 90 percent of the easements for the project have been obtained, and a contract for the installation of the pipeline segments will be awarded in October.
"Fortunately, we got some good rain December through April before the summer hit, so it put our reservoirs in good shape," she said. "But we're still without 28 percent of our supply, therefore water management strategies such as watering up to twice per week ... will remain in effect."
The cost of the project means cities will pay 14 cents more per 1,000 gallons of water, Hickey said. The city's current water rate is $1.48 per 1,000 gallons.
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