Extensive walkways at the NTMWD wetlands project will give visitors to the future nature center access to remote areas where plants, birds, and fish will be visible in their natural environments.

 
In the southeast corner of the Metroplex, near Crandall, off US 175, water is pumped from the Trinity River and flows through miles of man-made channels where aquatic plants flourish on the excess minerals and impurities. Birds, fish, insects, and many types of animal life make these artificial wetlands home. A week to 10 days later, the water is clean and clear when it reaches the pump station that will send it 44 miles uphill to Lake Lavon. The wetlands has the capacity to recover enough water each year to almost equal the water in Lake Lavon.
 
To showcase the project to visitors, a nature center has been designed that will show birds and plants from the wetlands, will demonstrate the water recovery process, and will have walkways over the water to allow visitors to get very close views of the local flora and fauna.
 
Recently, Council members Preston Edwards, Rick Williams, and I toured these artificial wetlands (also known as the East Fork Raw Water Supply Project) constructed by the North Texas Municipal Water District. At 1,840 acres, we were told that it is the largest man-made wetland project in the world. NTMWD Board members Paul Hoffman and Richard Roach and Executive Director Jim Parks also attended. The tour was conducted by Assistant General Manager Mike Rickman. Hosting from Garland Water Utilities were Jack May, director, and Shelley Franklin, public education. To get a better idea of the scope and purpose of the project, view the NTMWD's water reuse video here. As we saw, much progress has been made and the wetlands is now fully functional.
 
At a construction cost of $210 million, the wetlands is a very economical source of water. Constructing the wetlands was about $26 million, the pump stations were over $40 million, and laying the 84-inch diameter return pipeline was over $150 million. Compared to the costs of building new lakes and pumping the water back to the Metroplex, the wetlands is much cheaper. Also, permitting an environmentally-friendly wetland is much easier and cheaper than building a new lake.
 
Garland buys its water from the NTMWD. As recently announced, our local water rates will rise over the next few years as the cost of that water to the city increases. The cost of acquiring more water to a growing population directly pushes the rates higher. Projects like the wetlands is a welcome new source of water from conservation efforts that benefit the area and local wildlife. A presentation from the NTMWD to a Council work session a few weeks ago (Item 2a) explained the district's efforts in further detail.
 

Click pictures to link to larger versions

Pumping water from Trinity River

Plants and Birds line the channels

Huge pumps send water to Lavon