History

photo with caption of a group of men reviewing lavon reservoir construction plansNorth Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) was conceptualized in the early 1940s when a group of community leaders joined together out of concern for dwindling groundwater supplies that supported 32,000 people. The ten original Member Cities are Farmersville, Forney, Garland, McKinney, Mesquite, Princeton, Plano, Rockwall, Royse City, and Wylie. Richardson joined as a Member City in 1973, Allen in 1998, and Frisco in 2001.

For over eight decades, our organization has remained dedicated to our regional vision and continues to seek new ways to sustain the water supply and maintain services for one of the fastest-growing regions in Texas.



Key Milestones 

  • 1945 - U.S. Congress authorizes the construction of Lavon Lake
  • 1946 - Tri-County Lavon Reservoir Association convenes
  • 1948 - Lavon Lake construction begins
  • 1951 - North Texas Municipal Water District created as a special district of the state 10 cities (Farmersville, Forney, Garland, McKinney, Mesquite, Plano, Princeton, Rockwall, Royse City, and Wylie) became the original Member Cities.
  • 1954 - NTMWD creates a regional water system (pop. 32,000)
  • 1956 - First treated water plant begins operations
  • 1966 - Obtains Water Rights permit for Cooper Lake
  • 1968 - USACE begins construction on Cooper Lake
  • 1972 - NTMWD creates a regional wastewater system
  • 1973 - The City of Richardson becomes the 11th Member City
  • 1975 - Lavon Lake dam raised to store more water (pop. 200,000)
  • 1980 - NTMWD creates a regional solid waste system
  • 1982 - Maxwell Creek Landfill opens
  • 1986 - Water rights permit for Lake Texoma obtained
  • 1987 - Wilson Creek regional wastewater treatment plant begins operations
  • 1990 - 72 inches Texoma pipeline construction begins
  • 1991 - Cooper Lake dam completed after injunction causes a 15-year delay
  • 1994 - Total population served = approx. 800,000
  • 1998 - the City of Allen becomes the 12th Member City
  • 1998 - Cooper Lake renamed Jim Chapman Lake by an Act of Congress
  • 2001 - The City of Frisco becomes the 13th Member City
  • 2004 - 121 Regional Disposal Facility opens in Melissa
  • 2006 - Began permitting process to build the Bois d'Arc Lake to meet future water needs
  • 2008 - East Fork Reuse Project in operation using 1,840-acre manmade wetlands
  • 2009 - Zebra Mussels detected in Lake Texoma; 28% of water supply lost
  • 2011 - Lake Tawakoni Water Treatment Plant begins operations; drought plan initiated (hottest year on record)
  • 2013 - Ozone disinfection facilities begin service
  • 2014 - Texoma to Wylie WTP pipeline complete, restoring access to Lake Texoma - 28% of water supply
  • 2015 - Water rights permit for Lower Bois d'Arc Creek Reservoir obtained (pop. 1.6 million)
  • 2018 - Construction begins on the first new major reservoir in Texas, Bois d'Arc Lake, in nearly three decades
  • 2020 - Total population served for regional water system exceeds two million
  • 2022 - Construction complete on Bois d'Arc Lake
  • 2023 - Leonard Water Treatment Plant begins operations treating water from Bois d'Arc Lake
  • 2024 - Bois d'Arc Lake opens for public recreation