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Lk Lewisville use studyLake Lewisville Use Study Underway NCTCOG and the Fort Worth District of the U S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have recently set a national precedent for cooperation with the Lewisville Lake Use Study that began in June of this year. The study will analyze the use of Lewisville Lake and related concessions during the peak -use summer period of 1998. In the past, "Use Studies" have been funded solely by USACE, however, in the case of the Lewisville study, cities surrounding the lake, represented by NCTCOG are sharing in the cost of the study. The cooperative funding effort has enabled the study to begin this summer instead of several years in the future. Completing the Use Study and related Environmental Assessment in a shorter time frame will allow additional marina construction, if appropriate, to begin as early as the summer of 1999. The Use Study will provide data concerning the current and future utilization of the lake, and also identify the need for additional water related facilities. In light of recent motor boat and personal watercraft collisions on the lake, public safety issues are a major concern, and will be addressed throughout the study. Regional water supply and flood storage will also be considered. The Use Study, anticipated to be completed by September 1998, will provide data for an Environmental Assessment of the lake required under the National Environmental Policy Act in order to lift the current moratorium on marina construction. The Environmental Assessment should also provide valuable information about the lake's water quality. The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission ( TNRCC) has become an important partner in this effort. TNRCC staff plan to use data from the study to improve its estimate of air emissions due to recreational marine vehicles in the D/FW region. The Use Study will not only identify the need for additional water related facilities on the lake, but will also provide data important for determining the best way to bring the region into compliance with federal air quality regulations. Bringing NCTCOG, USACE and TNRCC together has expanded the benefits of initial interlocal cooperation among all of the participating local governments. Local government partners in the study include Copper Canyon, Denton County, Frisco, Hickory Creek, Highland Village, Lake Dallas, Lewisville, Little Elm, Oak Point, and The Colony. The total cost of the Use Study will be approzximately $170,000. For more information, please contact Melanie Sattler, NCTCOG at (817) 05 -9225 or email msattler0nctcog.dstAx.us. i hr 030aa jNorniagattlus Saturday, June 6, 1998 Safety central to lake study Concerns raised in wake of Le ' ' e drownings, accidents By Marice Richter Aory writer of t'►+om"ta11151111111M By the time all d this bowls water -skirts, campers and picmidars have come and gone t LwYNi3a lake tbb year, oflidialS eldmob mar ly 2.7 million people will have vlMgd the arse's moat popular twervoir. That popularity has oome with a price: A earls of drowning and *W accidents in recent Yeats olbw the lake a reputation sm the she's do@& est. Already this season, a 3"asr4d man and a 9-year-old boy have The crowds and their effect on public safety are among the raaeom for a mayor study of the Wrf and lit future. The study begins the weebod of June 11 "You don't hew to be a t arises scientist to see that YOU an practicalgr walk across the tab going tram boat to boat on a summer weal eW add Jack Tidwell, nWw onvlronmsnW planner for the North Cetunl Team Council of Governments. "Do w10 want it to get worse?" Officials with the Array Corps of Engineers My the lake's repu0stlon b undeserved, but they 07 they want to study whether the we is too popaler for its own good .There be been tremendous growth in Denton County sod th10 ms troplex room, which is inmpactlnt the lake," mid Don Wisest, peojaet mao ff or for the corps' lflm Fork paroled office. "We're going to look at isuasatlon use end try to desesaim► whatter the lake is dready owe a well se other factors like pubbc nbW and whether we we providing a gnaN4 recreation experieaes," W. Wien said. This study, coordinated by the Council of Governments, will be the first comprehensive review of the "You don't have to be a picket ,dentist to we that you can pY walk sans the lak soft from boat to boat on a summer weekin -id. Do we warts it to get ?9V —/ads IW*4 atalor anv6oamartd1 piirrterr ibe dw Neak CmW Taos. L is fief, the am of mpnhen- rtve stmO of w North Tun Woe, aDari tag to the aa'pa which over.- use ammo 40 rrtserlob acmes the omislily bees 1 natioawbda haw 011110110:111111 LwkviOe Lake bse a privw yacht dab and thno aw mo, a well a 24 bat "M VA00 am of wake. Lewis. villa cen otigiFn tone a 769 Dort while ang"I , which bN mid' "N sass of write, an ow home 44" Mr . wisse add "Bat tbaCb wby era impor. tot for teto loot tthe dlosidon stow and plan as we don't a MMland to 100 too." Tb@ WA 1s. wi1<be doaa in two pbas. er, wit to an roaming late use. AerMtohen wit OMMSetne hr. of Reno will caodaot an Invemory of ou bona rod )im wate+a m the is� t1l T gi0181 p pall l .. F abort t�alr espeabaoee t tit/ 1111111e. Dow" Cow. Mae ant duo Nell sooaaro10 ssrwmo 0lialmmlort Co tl e M Obp w= l� Ise` Lwkvlllk Little Liter. Oak point. Hl�lalod � isc>me!' Cl1010k and Ties COMY. The Mond phase VIII a ndw ptopoaale tram arse dirks for develop• MCI at the bb es part ot caalng cep with a low master pled Boearrchi an duo wilt try W determine how more dwetopment will amt food prafted , noreetlon, air and drink. tot wars. quWq. The dties of Dallas and Doom own the water flow to the Woe and haw contrata to apply wwr to many other ant cities. The second phase is acpectd to begin in the bU and could take cep to a year. Corp oMdala add they are piro ing a morakettmm on dl development accept nOW tine, during the study. Cities around the Woe haw pro• pored be uft each a arse marines, marks, trails, golf comr'sm toad, and new brldps on the Wo and sat+ rounding hd10rd Lind. A morwrium on now maim development has been I affect since Aageft 199! The study also b paosmposd by new federal environmental laws that en. counge the carps to take a biglicture view of fedenl Woes 'The lake is an asst to fhb area, and we don't want to jeopar'dies it," Mr. TMweli JOK The council In eery � study with the coordinator or the In sgeacies As tratflo at 0110 Woe has lncrs10esd so have 0000erm about public saf10ty, oftldab add. However officials add the Woe doesn't deserve lb rep . ladon a the deadbeat in Taus. "A aria of eeetotus We"rofile socidem a few yeas stn account for that Mellow 11r. Wi10m add Mite number of bwtks at Lwkwis are higher buauee the Woe is so mach larger ad has so much more waft Man other Woes. "Flat if you compw the Wm pro pordOftt*. Lewisville is aS ante a the According to the corps. U peopla I% oft up" ffmno MMM A oases Moab pit motslboab at anchor near, d wm on Late Lawlnipa. O!lldals esdmaw nearly 27 million people will visit the as moat popular reee! vdr this year. drownd in the Lewisville Lke bw tweet M and 191+f. 7be hittwt num- ber of deowdnp in a Angle year was seven In 190' in 1997, threw people drowned in the Ida. m 1996 and 1997 — the only Years for which Mintier were readily avail' able U boating accidents occurred ano year in 1916, nine of the those aecideate involved a collision be• tw10an two weals 10 of the 1997 806 dente Involved s collision between two vassals, officials said. Cities around the lake that are in the study have begun raising banes that L W111s City ktanager Claude King add the quality of the drinking water is a particular concern in his City. "We have a contract with Dallas for water, and we don't want to we aft- ti-And development of the We impact the quality at our water or cause our enamunt oat to go up." Mr. King Saki. However, Mary fair Watts, mayor of The Colony, sold bar city is envi- sioning a lot more development along the Woe, There are 23 miles of sbosw 11ne within The Colony's limits, she Sid. "Our vision is to see The colony become a destination for rest and ra b"etion in the metroplex, which n ant we'd want to b11M things like ,Norte. restaurants and shops along with a new marine." she said. Preliminary Results Available for Lake Lewisville Study Chart I Dallas/Fort Worth Area Ozone Monitoring, 1998 Monitor Exceedances of Ozone Standard Dallas North 0 Hinton 1 Redbird 1 Keller 2 Fort Worth 1 NW Arlington 2 Denton Airport 0 The Colony 0 Frisco 0 Total Exceedances 7 Ozone Alert Days 28 Total Exceedance Days 4 Preliminary results of the Lewisville Lake Water Related Recreation Use Study (WRRUS) are now available. The uses of the lake and related concessions W ere analyzed during the peak - use summer period of 1998 in order to determine current physical and social carrying capacities of the lake and to /•► predict future demand for �► . marina facilities. F711 On -site surveys of 627 ORusers exiting the lake were conducted on seven days in July 1998. In addition, written surveys were mailed to permitted winter users, landowners, marina tenants, official representatives from cities and counties and marina owners. The surveys found that in general, lake users were satisfied with the lake and its current condition. can&xad bom front page A majority of respondents reported that boat traffic, boat speeds, and boat noise were at acceptable levels and that crime and vandalism at the lake were not noticeable. A majority of respondents were satisfied with the acreage of scenic natural areas along the shoreline, but would like increased waterfowl hunting opportunities. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and NCTCOG co- sponsored the WRRUS. Local government partners included Copper Canyon, Denton County, Frisco, Hickory Creek, Highland Village, Lake Dallas, Lewisville, Little Elm, Oak Point, and The Colony. The study's final results will be available in January 1999, and will provide data for an Environmental Assessment of the lake, which is scheduled to begin in December 1998. For more information, please contact Jack TTdweB, NCTCOG at (817) 688 -8220 or email J tidweHOdf winfo.com. the regional TNRCC office, and the other is located at the Midlothian Tower in Midlothian, Texas. The Midlothian monitor, during the 1998 season, measured two days when ozone levels exceeded the federal health standard. Due to the monitor being located outside of the designated four - county nonattainment region of Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant counties, the higher levels are not calculated in the region's nonattainment compliance status. Statistics from the 1998 summer are listed in Chart 1(left), and a long- term history of days that exceeded the ozone standard in the Dallas/Fort Worth region is illustrated in Chart 2 (right). If you would like further information regarding D/FW's ozone status, please contact Troy I Stuckey at (817) 695 -9218, or e-mail ozouefnctcog dst.tx.us. You may also browse NCTCOG's air quality information on -line at http:/twww.dfwinfo.com/ envir /aq/ index.html.