Texas just got even bigger after Lone Star State clawed back a corner of Oklahoma

By RACHEL BOWMAN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 21:54 07 Nov 2024, updated 22:00 07 Nov 2024

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Texas and Oklahoma officials reached an agreement to redraw their state boundaries and return a sliver of land to the Lone Star State.

The new boundary adds 1.34 acres of land on Lake Texoma - including the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) pump station - to Texas.

In exchange, an equal 1.34 acres southeast of the pump station was given to Oklahoma.

Putting the water pump is on Texas land will ensure the security and availability of around 30 percent of the drinking water supply for more than 2 million people in that area, according to the Texas General Land Office.

'This redrawn boundary line will ensure that millions of north Texans' water comes from a secure source in Texas,' said Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham.

Controversy over the 1.34 acres of land dates back to the 2000 redrawing of the Oklahoma/Texas state boundaries, NTMWD said.

The agency draws water from Lake Texoma through its Texoma pump station, built in 1989, within the Texas border on the southeast side of the lake.

In 2000, during a redrawing of the state boundary, the pump was incorrectly placed on the Oklahoma side.

Then in 2009, zebra mussels were discovered in the lake - an invasive species with devastating economic, recreational, and environmental impacts, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife.

This brought pumping operations to a halt and officials discovered the station was actually on the Oklahoma side, meaning that it violates the Lacey Act, which prevents the transport of invasive species across state lines.

A congressional exception to the Lacey Act allowed NTMWD to restore pumping from Lake Texoma in 2014.

On October 30, the Red River Boundary Commission, composed of Texas and Oklahoma commissions, executed the Amended and Restated Texoma Area Boundary Agreement to correct the boundary issue.

'We're pleased we've reached an agreement with our partners in Oklahoma ensuring continued use of our Lake Texoma pump station to provide water to our rapidly growing service area,' said Jenna Covington, Executive Director and General Manager of North Texas Municipal Water District.

'This agreement secures a vital water supply for the region, as Lake Texoma accounts for approximately 20 percent of NTMWD's permitted water supplies that serve more than two million North Texans.'

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