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Residents urge council to defend Jefferson lakes and flows amid outside water-transfer pressure
Summary
Multiple public commenters and local advocates urged the Jefferson City Council to uphold a prior resolution opposing transfers of local lake and bayou water out of the region, warning that changes to flows could worsen invasive-plant outbreaks and harm tourism and fisheries.
A series of public comments at the Jefferson City Council meeting on March 16 pressed elected officials to keep regional water in place and protect downstream flows, arguing that local lakes and the Big Cypress Bayou are more than commodities: they are the town's identity, economy and ecological lifeline.
Trish Jones, president of the Cat Biocontrol Alliance, told the council her group breeds microscopic weevils to eat giant salvinia and that the weevils require steady flows to be effective. "If we alter those flows, the weevils won't be able to keep up and we'll be left spraying chemicals," Jones said. She described salvinia's "exponential" doubling cycle and urged the council to remember a prior resolution that opposed out-of-region transfers of East Texas water.
Stella Barrow, representing the Greater Cattle Lake Association, thanked the council for last year’s anti-transfer resolution and warned that Dallas-area interests continue to pursue regional water; she urged the council not to become complacent. Another commenter who identified himself as a regional water planner (introduced in the meeting as Eddie) said he had spent years in regional water planning and pledged, if elected to represent Jefferson, to honor the council's resolutions against moving water away.
Why it matters: Council members face a tension between regional water-supply demands and local tourism, fisheries and invasive-species management. Commenters framed water as both an economic asset and an ecological system that requires flow to maintain biological control efforts already underway.
What the council heard and did: Speakers asked the council to resist proposals that would convey water rights or move raw water out of the region; no formal policy decision on transfers was taken during the meeting, and council members directed staff to keep water-protection concerns on future agendas and to consider appointments for regional water-district representation when vacancies occur.
The next step: Several commenters recommended the council consider appointing locally experienced representatives to the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District and to continue public education about water-transfer risks. Council members acknowledged the comments and kept the issue on the meeting record for follow up.
