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Residents and water experts warn council a proposed lease and pipeline could threaten local lakes and groundwater
Summary
Public commenters and water scientists urged Jefferson council to reject lease or pipeline deals that they say could enable outside cities to draw local groundwater; the water district disputed some claims and described drought-plan triggers and operational limits.
Public comment and two technical presentations focused on proposals to move regional water out of the basin and on a pending nomination to the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District board.
Speakers at the microphone told the council that a proposed 107‑mile pipeline and related lease proposals could endanger Lake of the Pines, local wetlands and groundwater. Trish Jones, who addressed the council during public comment, urged the council to appoint Hattie Hackeler as Jefferson’s representative on the regional board and said, “Protecting our water means no pipeline. No pipeline means no lease.”
Why it matters: Several public speakers and a presenter from the Caddo Lake Institute framed the issue as an ecological and long‑term legal risk: leases and contracts, they said, can effectively transfer control of flows and increase withdrawals in ways local residents cannot…
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