STOP LAKE
RINGGOLD NOW
An exorbitant cost for a project that isn't needed, forces people from private land, and destroys our way of life.
About Lake Ringgold
We all want a secure water future. We all want a sound economy. We all want the City of Wichita Falls and the entire Texoma region to prosper. But building Lake Ringgold won't help us reach those goals.
Building Lake Ringgold will saddle the residents of Wichita Falls and its customer cities with nearly half a billion in debt – for a reservoir they don't even need! That’s nearly $4,000 for every man, woman, and child in Wichita Falls and its customer communities.
City officials have been saying, “Oh, it won’t be built for years.” But Wichita Falls citizens have already paid millions for engineering work and there's a lot more cost to come before the project even has the permits to begin.
HALF A BILLION in debt for a project that's not needed to secure our water future.
4 REASONS TO OPPOSE
We don't need it.
Wichita Falls currently has more than twice as much water supply as it has needed in recent years. Its current annual supply is enough to meet the projected needs of the City and its customers for the next 50 years. If additional water demands were to arise, the City has additional water rights in Lake Kemp that could be developed, rather than building an expensive new reservoir. Funds could then be allocated to address other local priorities like schools and infrastructure. Click here to see a chart of the Wichita Falls water supply.
The cost is too high.
The Cost of Lake Ringgold is very high and will be paid for by the people of Wichita Falls and cities who buy water from Wichita Falls. The estimated cost of the Ringgold project will likely exceed a billion dollars with interest, burdening Wichita Falls residents and anyone who purchases water from Wichita Falls with water rate increases. This figure doesn't account for additional expenses incurred by Clay County and the City of Henrietta for road construction, maintenance, and increased law enforcement needs.
Prime agricultural land will be lost.
The Ringgold project will remove 41,000 acres of land from production, including 16,000 acres of crucial river and creek bottoms that will be inundated. This loss will destroy rare tallgrass prairie and hardwood river bottom habitats, impacting numerous wildlife species including turkey, deer, quail, and duck.
Texans will be forced off their land.
Rumors are that Wichita Falls has already bought the land for Lake Ringgold, but in truth the City has purchased only 6,662 acres of the estimated 41,000 acres that will be required. The Ringgold project's impact will be felt throughout the region, with increased water rates, reduced agricultural production, and the loss of crucial wildlife habitats. Ranchers will be forced to sell their land, often multi-generational family properties, diminishing the region's agricultural productivity. Additionally, Clay County will experience reduced tax revenues, increased road maintenance costs, and a disruption to their rural way of life.
Wichita Falls is planning to build a reservoir without a vote by its citizens. The local residents and businesses of Wichita Falls and its customer cities will pay higher water rates and the landowners in Clay County will be forced to sell land. All for something we don’t need.
We urge you to oppose construction of Lake Ringgold.
SEE WHO IT IMPACTS
"The people of Wichita Falls and its customer cities will be paying hundreds of millions of dollars for something they simply don't need."
Deborah Clark
Birdwell & Clark Ranch
WHAT WILL BE DESTROYED
Join the Fight
About Texoma Stewardship Coalition
Texoma Stewardship Coalition began as a group of concerned ranchers, property owners, and citizens adamantly opposed to the proposed Lake Ringgold Project because of its impacts on ranching and the economy of Clay County.
What we quickly learned is that building Lake Ringgold would be bad for the people of Wichita Falls and other cities in the region as well.
The residents of Wichita Falls, Burkburnett, Iowa Park, Electra, Archer City, Holliday, and rural areas in Wichita County will be hit with increased water rates to pay for a reservoir they don’t need.
Texas Stewardship Coalition invites you to join the Coalition and learn more about the proposed Lake Ringgold Project. We welcome your help in spreading the word about the cost, lack of need, and tremendous negative impacts this project will have on the water ratepayers, the economy, the land and wildlife, landowners, and our region’s ranching heritage.