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City staff say agency 'moving goal posts' slowed Mercer Dam water‑rights progress
Summary
Public Works Director Jennifer Ward told the Dallas City Council on Jan. 5 that securing a water storage rights permit — a precursor to expanding Mercer Reservoir and building Mercer Dam — has been delayed by repeated agency requests; the city is arranging a meeting with Representative Scharf and consultants to seek a stable, long‑range framework.
Jennifer Ward, Dallas Public Works director, told the City Council at a Jan. 5 work session that the city has struggled for roughly two years to obtain a water storage rights permit needed to expand Mercer Reservoir and advance design for Mercer Dam. "We've experienced some delays in them responding to what we submit to them and also kind of moving goal posts," Ward said, describing repeated new study requirements from state agencies.
Ward said City Manager Latta arranged a meeting with Representative Scharf and the city’s consultant, Jacobs Engineering, to press state agencies for clearer, durable guidance. "She was very responsive to that," Ward said of Representative Scharf, and "is going to try to arrange then a meeting with the applicable members of the agency to try to get a really firm plan in place." Ward added that construction is likely many years away, "5 to 10 years out," and that the city needs assurances the studies it completes now will remain relevant later.
The permit delay has practical consequences for the council's capital planning and funding timeline. Ward listed the water storage rights permit as a predecessor to identifying and securing funding for Mercer Dam. Councilors pressed staff to ask agency contacts what other requirements might still be requested to avoid additional surprises; Ward and councilors noted that few new dams have been built in the state recently, which complicates agency processes.
Next steps: staff will pursue the arranged meeting with Representative Scharf and agency officials, work with Jacobs Engineering to define and prioritize studies that meet agency requirements, and return to the council with clearer milestones and funding implications for the reservoir/dam project.
