NTMWD seeks parkland easements in two Plano parks for sewer rehabilitation; council approves Chapter 26 findings

The Plano City Council on May 20 approved two resolutions under chapter 26 of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code allowing the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) to adjust easements and carry out rehabilitation work on wastewater facilities that run through city parkland.

Ron Smith, director of parks and recreation, opened the hearings and explained chapter 26 requires a public hearing and council findings whenever public parkland is used for non‑park purposes. Mike Simon, director of engineering for NTMWD, presented details of both projects.

For the Russell Creek interceptor rehabilitation in Hoblitzel Hill Park, Simon said the work addresses corrosion and condition issues in an existing pipeline that was originally constructed by the city and conveyed to the district. He said the district plans to rehabilitate the line primarily with an internal liner (a cured‑in‑place polymer application) rather than open excavation. The district requested abandonment of the existing easement and re‑dedication of a revised easement alignment that, in some places, widens to a 30‑foot standard to allow future access and mobilization. Simon said there would be no planned tree removals in the park segments and that disturbed ground would be restored; the Russell Creek interceptor segment is part of a larger NTMWD rehabilitation program with an overall project cost of about $4.3 million and a target window that could extend through 2027 for full completion of all segments. Council members voted 8–0 to find there was no feasible and prudent alternative to the taking and that the project includes reasonable planning to minimize harm, and they approved the resolution.

The second item addressed a manhole replacement and permanent access easement at the Legacy Greenbelt Trail near Preston Road Lift Station. Simon told council that historical records showed existing easements in that area did not fully cover the pipelines or the manhole; the district proposes a permanent sanitary sewer and access easement plus a limited special‑use mobilization area for construction. He said the work will require bypass pumping, removal of three trees (each 8 inches or larger) within the permanent easement that could not be preserved because of proximity to the pipe/manhole, and that tree removal damages will be included in the easement compensation negotiated with the city. The estimated cost to replace the manhole and perform the immediate work is about $200,000. Simon said the district intends to perform the manhole work during the region’s low‑flow season (summer) and estimated a contractor schedule of roughly three months for that segment; the larger program timeline runs to 2027 for related projects. The council again found no feasible/prudent alternative and approved the requested easement and related actions by an 8–0 vote.

Both approvals include staff conditions: NTMWD must submit construction methodology and restoration plans, coordinate trail closures and detours with the city, limit tree removals to identified necessary cases, and restore disturbed areas after work. NTMWD and city staff will finalize easement terms, compensation for any disturbed parkland and removed trees, and the schedule for mobilization and construction.

The council’s affirmative findings under Chapter 26 allow NTMWD to proceed with permanent easements and rehabilitation work while preserving the city’s right to negotiate mitigation and restoration terms.