The Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) is a

water district A water district is a special district given the task of supplying water and sewer needs to a community. This term is commonly used in the United States. See also * Irrigation district In the United States an irrigation district is a cooperative ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. It provides raw water for over 2.1 million people, implements vital flood control measures and creates recreational opportunities for the residents of 11 North Texas Counties. Today, TRWD is led by a publicly elected five-member board and owns/operates four major reservoirs, including Lake Bridgeport,

Eagle Mountain Lake Eagle Mountain Lake is a reservoir in North Texas, formed by the damming the West Fork of the Trinity River. The reservoir sits below Lake Bridgeport reservoir and above Lake Worth reservoir. History The Texas State Board of Water Engineers gr ...

, Cedar Creek Reservoir and

Richland-Chambers Reservoir Richland-Chambers Reservoir is the third largest inland reservoir by surface area and the 8th largest reservoir by water volume in Texas formed by the impoundment of Richland Creek and Chambers Creek east-southeast of the town of Corsicana and so ...

. TRWD has also constructed more than 150 miles of water pipelines, 27 miles of floodway levees, more than 72 miles of Trinity River Trails and a 2,000 acre wetland

water reuse Water reclamation (also called wastewater reuse, water reuse or water recycling) is the process of converting municipal wastewater (sewage) or industrial wastewater into water that can be reused for a variety of purposes. Types of reuse include: ...

project designed to increase future water supplies for the area.

History

A devastating flood occurred in Fort Worth on April 12, 1922. The damage and loss of life was catastrophic. As a result, the

Tarrant County Tarrant County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2020, it had a population of 2,110,640. It is Texas' third-most populous county and the 15th-most populous in the United States. Its county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County, one of 2 ...

Commissioner's Court on October 7, 1924, created the Tarrant County Water Improvement District Number One. The District's primary role was to provide

flood control Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...

within Tarrant County. Two years later, however, the responsibility of the District was expanded to include

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

. On January 12, 1926, the District became the Tarrant County Water Control and Improvement District Number One. The primary roles of the District continues to be flood control and water supply under Article 16, Section 59 in the

Texas Constitution The Constitution of the State of Texas is the document that establishes the structure and function of the government of the U.S. state of Texas, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of Texas. The current document was adopted on Febr ...

. The District is considered a General Law District and operates under Vernon's Texas Civil Statues Article 8280–207. On October 1, 1996, with State approval, the name is changed to Tarrant Regional Water District to reflect that the District services more than just Tarrant County. Tarrant Regional Water District is classified as a regional district under Texas law. The district is managed by five directors. Directors must reside inside the Tarrant Regional Water District and be at least eighteen (18) years of age.

West Fork Trinity River regulation

In 1929, a contractor was awarded the contract to construct Bridgeport and Eagle Mountain reservoirs, on the West Fork of the Trinity River. Lake Bridgeport, located primarily in west Wise County, was the first reservoir constructed by the Tarrant Regional Water District. There is now a town called Lake Bridgeport at the lake.

is another reservoir constructed by the District.

Reservoirs

The following reservoirs are managed and controlled by TRWD for flood control and/or water supply: * Lake Bridgeport *

* Cedar Creek Reservoir (Texas) Lakes on which TRWD holds water rights or operating agreements: * Lake Arlington *

Benbrook Lake Benbrook Lake (also known as Benbrook Reservoir) is a reservoir on the Clear Fork of the Trinity River in Tarrant County, Texas, USA. The lake is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) southwest of the center of Fort Worth, where the Clear F ...

* Lake Worth Passive flood control lakes constructed or maintained by TRWD: * Marine Creek Lake (Fort Worth, Texas) * Cement Creek Lake (Fort Worth, Texas)

References

{{reflist Water management authorities in the United States