NL Cypress-CS120720
July 19, 2012
Jody Puckett P.E., Director of Dallas Water Utilities
Dallas Water Utilities
1500 Marilla Street, Room 4A North
Dallas, TX 75201
RE: Raw Water from the Elm Fork of the Trinity River
Dear Mrs. Puckett:
We are writing to seek an agreement with Dallas Water Utilities to obtain water rights for a
minimum of 1,475 acres feet of raw water from the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. We base this
request as provided in this letter request.
The City of Coppell purchased, from Billingsley Development, Northlake and associated land on
the North and East side of Northlake. As part of that purchase, obligations were undertaken
which require permission of Dallas Water Utilities to acquire water to maintain lake levels for
future development. The City of Coppell, as owner of the lake, desires to maintain a somewhat
constant lake level. In order to accomplish that objective and meet the City’s future utilization of
the surrounding land, water will be taken from the Elm Fork of the Trinity River near Sandy
Lake Road and transported to Northlake via an existing 42” water line that was constructed by
Dallas Power and Light Company in the 1950’s as part of the Northlake power generation
station.
Through the years, Dallas Power and Light Company has transitioned into ownership of the
existing water rights which are currently held by Luminant. As part of the power plant,
decommissioning by Luminant, it has sold its land to the Billingsleys. The Billingsleys in turn
sold the lake and some land to the City of Coppell. The City of Coppell desires to acquire the
remaining tracts of the power plant reservation known as the North and East Tracts from
Luminant. In June of 2012, Luminant provided information to the City of Coppell concerning
what water rights it would take to maintain a 360 acre lake, which Northlake will become when
lake edges are modified, as a difference between the drought chase rainfall and evaporation rates.
Luminant calculated that it would take approximately 1,260 acre feet to maintain the lake at our
desired level, again during a drought type year, as was experienced in Dallas County in 1956
baseline.
At a meeting held in July 12, 2012, Luminant, Billingsley and the City of Coppell, the parties
discussed and outlined their respective needs for future water rights with representatives of your
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department. All parties agreed to set forth their respective requirements. Hence, we are
submitting this formal request.
After acquiring the remaining tracts, the City of Coppell will undertake its long term plans
concerning use. At this time, the actual development or utilization of that land is uncertain;
however, if it were to remain and be irrigated in the future as open space, the City requires an
additional 430 acre feet per year to maintain the lake level and irrigation needs. It is likely the
land will be developed and therefore assuming a hard surface develop rate of approximately 50
percent. The City would need approximately 200, plus or minus, additional acre feet of water
per year for such irrigation levels. We therefore, seek to acquire raw water rights for the lake
level and development purposes.
This letter is a formal request to Dallas Water Utilities to begin the process of acquiring rights to
approximately 1475 acre feet per year of raw water from the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. As I
understand, this would be a separate contract and not a supplemental to the existing treated water
contract with the City of Dallas.
If you should need any additional information or this request needs to be provided in a different
format, please feel free to contact me at your convenience.
Respectfully submitted,
Clay Phillips, City Manager
City of Coppell
972-304-3618
cphillips@coppelltx.gov