A public meeting will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, August 14, to present the draft of the Whitney Lake Reallocation Study to the public. Comments on the proposal will be accepted through Wednesday, August 20.
The meeting will be held at the Hill County Exhibits Building, located at 205 Stadium Drive in Hillsboro.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recently announced that the 2025 draft of the Whitney Lake Reallocation Study Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Assessment are available for a 30-day public review.
USACE says the reallocation of storage is considered the most efficient means to address the current and projected water demands in the Brazos River basin by the Brazos River Authority, USACE’s partner on the study.
The local reservoir is primarily for flood risk management, hydroelectric power and water supply. This reallocation study examines the potential to adjust the proportion of water designated for different authorized users.
The study evaluates and compares a number of potential water supply storage alternatives to generate municipal and industrial water supply for the Brazos River basin.
The tentatively selected plan increases the water supply storage in the conservation pool by 72,817 acre-feet (ac-ft) and designates 111,537 ac-ft of storage as water supply from the powerhead reserve/inactive pool for a total water supply increase of 184,354 ac-ft.
The Corps reported that compared to current conditions, the difference in monthly average lake level is modeled to be less than one foot under the proposed plan.
A growing population, industrial infrastructure growth and a lack of additional readily available water supply storage were cited as reasons for the study.
The reallocation would result in a decrease in elevation of the bottom of the conservation pool by 8 feet, from an elevation of 520 feet to 512 feet. The top of the conservation pool would remain the same at an elevation of 533 feet.
Detailed information is available on the study’s website with instructions to submit comments: https://www.swf.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civ il-Works/Whitney-Lake-Reallo cation-Study.
The August 14 public meeting will provide an overview of the study and the opportunity for the public to provide comments. Any materials presented at the public meeting will be made available on the study’s website after the meeting.
Comments can be submitted in writing either by email to: CESWF-Whitney_Realloca tion@usace.army.mil; by mail to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District ATTN: Whitney Lake Reallocation Project – RPEC, 819 Taylor Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102; or at the scheduled public meeting.
The Lakelander 