Hearing Set on Petition for Fresh Water Supply District in Henderson County

By Michael V. Hannigan

Henderson County Commissioners’ Court has set a public hearing for 9:45 a.m. July 15 on a petition to create a Fresh Water Supply District in Pct. 4 off FM 1615.

Commissioners took the action during their regular meeting Tuesday morning. According to state law, the court was required to set the public hearing.

A Fresh Water Supply District is a political subdivision of the state — a government entity — meaning it has the power to levy and collect a tax, hold bond elections, build infrastructure and is run by an elected board.

The proposed water district would be the Wilson Ranch Fresh Water Supply District No. 1. The proposed district is about 1,090 acres completely inside Henderson County, with no part in the City of Athens extraterritorial jurisdiction, according to the petition. The proposed district is made up of four tracts of land.

Tuesday, commissioners had very few details about the proposed district other than what was in the petition, which listed the following reasons for creating the district:

To reduce or eliminate the necessity of fresh water being imported from outside the district
To conserve, transport and distribute fresh water from the aquifer(s) within the district
To provide water to both residences and ranches within the district
To have the capacity in the future to provide fresh water to nearby residences, ranches and other potential users

According to the petition, “An adequate waterworks system, capable of delivering fresh water throughout the district, does not currently exist in the district. Consequently, the construction, maintenance and operations of an adequate waterworks system is necessary to assure the health and welfare of the present and future inhabitants of the district and adjacent areas and to reduce or eliminate the need to import fresh water from outside the district.”

After the public hearing on July 15, commissioners will decide whether or not to approve the petition.

~~If they do approve the petition an election will be set for the property owners of the district. There are less than 10 property owners in the district, according to a county official.~~

Creation of the district is at the discretion of Commissioners’ Court.

Chapter 53 of the Water Code reads, “The commissioners court shall have jurisdiction to determine all issues pertaining to the sufficiency of the petition and shall allow any interested person to appear before it in person or by attorney to offer testimony relative to the sufficiency of the petition.”

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