REMINDER:
Bois d’Arc Lake is NOT open for recreation

The Bois d’Arc Lake Watershed

Watershed Protection

A watershed is the land area that water flows through or under on its way to a stream, river, lake, ocean or other body of water.

Healthy watersheds help reduce erosion and act as a filter to capture sediment and pollutants before they enter water bodies. Maintaining healthy watersheds is vital for the protection of aquatic environments and water sources, including Bois d’Arc Lake.

Bois d’Arc Lake’s primary purposes are to provide drinking water to 2 million people in North Texas communities served by NTMWD and to support recreation. Protecting water quality is important to preserving both of these uses, especially as changes in land use and development occur in the watershed and recreational activities on the lake increase over time.

Our watershed protection team works closely with the public, cities and partner agencies to identify and implement measures aimed at protecting and improving water quality. We also manage watersheds carefully to maintain healthy habitats for plants, fish and animals and to ensure recreational uses are not compromised.

Watershed Planning

In 2021, NTMWD coordinated with local stakeholders and hosted multiple meetings in Fannin County to develop a voluntary, non-regulatory Watershed Protection Plan (WPP) for Bois d’Arc Lake. .

The Draft WPP was approved by the Bois d’Arc Lake Watershed Steering Committee in January 2022 and accepted by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in April 2022. The Plan identifies management measures that will protect and improve water quality based on recommendations from stakeholders who live and work in the watershed.

Bois d’Arc Lake’s watershed protection plan:
  • Characterizes the current water quality conditions and land uses in the watershed
  • Identifies current and potential sources of water pollution
  • Encourages a voluntary and community-driven Watershed Partnership to protect the lake’s water quality
  • Provides management measures and recommendations that protect or improve water quality

EPA acceptance of the Bois d’Arc Lake WPP qualifies management measures identified in the Plan to be funded through federal nonpoint source program grants and other technical assistance programs. NTMWD will continue to work with local stakeholders in 2022 to pursue grant funding and implement the Plan.

NTMWD has also created a Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) to protect the lake’s drinking water while allowing for recreation. This plan will work together with the WPP to protect water quality. The primary differences are that the WPP is a voluntary, non-regulatory plan involving everyone in the lake’s watershed, while the SMP’s purpose is to regulate uses of NTMWD property along the shoreline by current and future private property owners.

Watershed Planning Meetings

Future stakeholder meetings are open to the public and meeting information will be posted on this web site.

For more info on the Watershed Protection Plan & Watershed Partnership, please contact:

David Cowan, NTMWD Watershed Manager
469-626-4416