H.R. No. 1617
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The North Texas Municipal Water District has
received the 2011 Texas Environmental Excellence Award for water
conservation; and
WHEREAS, Established by the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality, the Texas Environmental Excellence Awards
celebrate the bold efforts of citizens, communities, businesses,
and organizations to preserve and protect the state's environment;
the awards are presented each spring in diverse categories across
the public and private sectors; and
WHEREAS, The North Texas Municipal Water District, which
provides services to more than 1.6 million area residents, is
meeting the growing demand for water through a unique, natural
solution; its East Fork Wetland Project in Kaufman County diverts
water from the east fork of the Trinity River and uses plants, not
machinery, to remove sediment, nitrogen, and other elements by
routing the water through approximately 1,840 acres of wetland
habitat; the cleansed water is then pumped to Lake Lavon for storage
and water supply use; the project is expected to eventually provide
enough water to serve a half-million people per year; and
WHEREAS, One of the largest constructed wetlands in the
United States, the East Fork Wetland also provides enhanced
habitats for wildlife, and in 2010, the water district constructed
the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center, an educational facility that
promotes research in water quality and supply, wildlife management,
and wetland systems; and
WHEREAS, The district supplemented its development of new
raw-water supplies by becoming the first entity to implement the
Texas Water Development Board's Water IQ public awareness program;
responding to the worst drought conditions in a half-century, this
campaign helped curb projected peak-day water consumption by an
estimated 200 million gallons a day in 2006, and consumption has
remained below the expected water demand despite population growth;
and
WHEREAS, With its innovative strategies to use reclaimed
water and enact important water conservation programs, the North
Texas Municipal Water District is demonstrating exemplary
stewardship of our state's natural resources, and it is indeed
worthy of this prestigious accolade; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate the North Texas Municipal Water
District on its receipt of the 2011 Texas Environmental Excellence
Award for water conservation and that all those associated with the
East Fork Wetland Project and the Water IQ program be commended for
their outstanding work; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the district as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.
Gooden
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1617 was adopted by the House on May
3, 2011, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House