Watershed Protection Plans

Richland-Chambers Lake

Richland‐Chambers Lake is located southeast of Dallas and is the third largest inland reservoir by surface to lie entirely within the state. Constructed in the late 1980’s, it’s vast watershed drains almost 2,000 square miles of mostly rural area and provides a significant percent of the total TRWD water supply. Similar to many reservoirs in the state, water quality in Richland‐Chambers is affected by nutrient and sediment runoff from the watershed which boost algae growth and decrease holding capacity. Currently, TRWD is working with Texas A&M AgriLife Research to conduct studies that will provide the scientific foundation for a stakeholder‐driven WPP.

In 2012, the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) announced a new Water Quality Initiative committed to improving water quality by providing targeted assistance to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners in the Chambers Creek watershed above Richland‐Chambers Reservoir. This national initiative received attention from business and nonprofit organizations such as Miller‐Coors and the Sand County Foundation, spurring them to invest in the program.

Eagle Mountain Lake

Eagle Mountain Lake is located northwest of Fort Worth, and is a major water supply reservoir for Fort Worth and surrounding cities. The Eagle Mountain Lake watershed is 869 square miles in size and includes parts of Tarrant, Parker, Wise, Jack, Montague, and Clay Counties. This largely rural watershed is dominated by range and grassland as well as a growing suburban population.

The goal of the Eagle Mountain Lake WPP is to slow algae growth in the lake by reducing phosphorus contributions to the lake. The WPP reflects input from many partners and stakeholders to address agricultural and urban sources throughout the watershed, and is based on scientific and economic studies presented in the WPP Modeling Report. TRWD is currently updating this plan. Click the newsletter button to receive updates about ongoing watershed initiatives and opportunities to participate.

The Eagle Mountain Lake Conservation Initiative, which ran from 2011 to 2022, was a partnership between the NRCS, Wise SWCD, Wise County WCID1, Wise County Commissioners Court, and TRWD to address agricultural sources of sediment and nutrients to the lake. The purpose of the initiative was to enhance technical assistance and conservation planning in the Eagle Mountain Lake Watershed and encourage implementation of agricultural conservation systems to address water quality concerns.

Watershed Protection Plan
FACT SHEET & MAP

Cedar Creek Lake

Located in Henderson and Kaufman counties, Cedar Creek Lake is the eastern‐most lake in the TRWD system. It’s 1,007 square mile watershed extends across portions of Henderson, Kaufman, Van Zandt and Rockwall Counties. The majority of the watershed is agricultural, but urbanization is expanding in the upper reaches and in the Interstate 20 corridor. The concerted effort to develop WPPs for TRWD watersheds was initiated in 2003, with targeted federal support of research and educational personnel and activities beginning in 2009.

In an effort to address water quality issues caused by nutrients and sediment in the lake, local citizens, elected officials, and agency representatives came together to develop the foundation for a comprehensive, stakeholder-based WPP. The plan combines the strategic use of structural best management practices and education and outreach programming for targeted audiences within the watershed. Information from these studies will be compiled into a WPP document in the coming months.

Utilizing complimentary computer models allowed watershed planners to analyze the source and degree of pollutants and to illustrate past, present and future reservoir conditions resulting from various management scenarios. Economic evaluations of proposed management solutions demonstrate the most efficient use of project funds to foster improvement in reservoir water quality. Learn more.

Lake Bridgeport

Lake Bridgeport is the upper‐most impoundment on the West Fork of the Trinity River and is situated in western Wise County. It’s 1,111 square mile watershed covers parts of Wise, Jack, Clay, Archer and Young counties. This watershed is largely rural, with primarily ranchland and agricultural activities.

In spite of its largely rural nature and sparse populations, some historic activities have had negative effects on water quality of the West Fork Trinity above Lake Bridgeport. Efforts by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) have been successful in addressing localized sources of oilfield pollutants. Learn More.

Overall, Lake Bridgeport exhibits the best quality water of reservoirs in the TRWD system. Because of the high water quality and lack of pressures in the watershed, there are currently no plans to develop a Watershed Protection Plan for Lake Bridgeport.

Lake Benbrook

Benbrook Lake is located on the Clear Fork of the Trinity River in southwest Tarrant county and is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The watershed is 429 square miles and drains portions of Tarrant, Johnson and Parker counties. Land use is still largely rural, but urban development is rapidly moving into several areas of the watershed. In 1987, the Texas Water Commission granted TRWD a water rights permit for Benbrook Lake, which also allows the district to use the lake as storage for water piped in from Cedar Creek and Richland‐Chambers Lakes. Although TRWD doesn’t own or operate the reservoir, this action gave the district a vested interest in the quality of the water entering from the watershed. Studies conducted in the Benbrook Lake watershed indicated future water quality impacts from increased wastewater flows due to the rapidly growing urban population. This information spurred TRWD to propose more stringent effluent limitations for new and amended municipal discharge permits issued in the watershed. In 2015 the TCEQ approved new rules which accomplished this goal. These new requirements are part of the Watershed Protection regulations in 30 TAC Chapter 311.

Lake Arlington

Lake Arlington is located in southeast Tarrant County and is owned and operated by the city of Arlington, a major TRWD water customer. The lake is a “terminal storage,” or delivery point for water from TRWD’s eastern reservoirs to the city of Arlington and the Trinity River Authority. The 143 square mile watershed drains portions of Tarrant and Johnson counties and includes a patchwork of urban and rural areas including Burleson, Kennedale, and Fort Worth, while the shores of the lake are shared by Fort Worth and Arlington. Urban areas dominate the northern end of the watershed, with a few industrial and municipal complexes near its center, and trending more towards agricultural use in the southern extent. Although inputs from TRWD supplies comprise a portion of the water in Lake Arlington, the lake is also influenced by water from springs, stormwater runoff and tributaries within the Village Creek watershed. In 2011 the city of Arlington developed a Master Plan for the lake, with the goals of protecting water quality and managing the increasing pressures of a growing population. This plan provides the foundation for a Watershed Protection Plan currently being developed by the Trinity River Authority, in conjunction with the city of Arlington and other jurisdictions and stakeholders in the watershed.

Lake Worth

Lake Worth is located in western Tarrant county and is a major water supply for the city of Fort Worth. Situated just downstream of the Eagle Mountain Lake dam, Lake Worth’s water quality is influenced by flows from upstream, as well as an additional 85 square miles of watershed extending into portions of Tarrant and Parker counties. With the intent to protect water quality by reducing pollutant loads from the contributing area while enhancing recreational opportunities in the Lake Worth Watershed, the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and The Trust for Public Land partnered to work with the City of Fort Worth and a local citizen advisory committee (The Lake Worth Regional Coordination Committee, the LWRCC) to develop a Greenprint for the lake. This information and more can be found on the City of Fort Worth Lake Worth webpage.