At its January 21 meeting, the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) Board voted to rename the Cedar Creek Wetlands in honor of former board member Marty Leonard.
Leonard, a dedicated advocate for water conservation and environmental sustainability, was recognized for her decades of service and commitment to preserving the region’s natural resources. The wetlands, a vital component of the district’s water management strategy, will now be known as the Marty Leonard Cedar Creek Wetlands.
She was presented with a copy of the site plan for the 3,300-acre wetland near the Cedar Creek Lake. Construction is set to start on the wetlands in 2026 with the project expected to deliver water back to Tarrant County by 2032.
“I never dreamed of ever having anything like this named for me,” Leonard said. “Thank you, God, for water and TRWD for conserving it.”
Leonard also told the board that it couldn’t “have given her a greater honor.” Leonard said she ran for the board to champion projects that addressed the lack of, and the need for, water.
“Marty is a known conservationist, philanthropist and nature lover who championed efforts by TRWD to establish constructed wetlands to extend the region’s water supply,” according to a resolution read by General Manager Dan Buhman told the board. “Marty has dedicated time, energy and resources to making her community a better place to live and her efforts will be felt for many years to come.”
At full capacity, the Cedar Creek wetland is expected to provide enough water to serve an additional 1.1 million people. Final designs for the wetland, pump stations and pipeline are underway.
TRWD already operates a 2,200-acre wetland near the Richland-Chambers Reservoir, which is named after long-time TRWD Board President George W. Shannon.
Both wetlands reuse water from the Trinity River that is pumped through man-made sedimentation basins and treatment cells, built to act like the marshy areas that naturally occur along many streams or rivers.
