Water lawsuit ends with partnership among many cities
March 2010
In early March, a years-long water lawsuit brought by outlying Texas-side cities alleging over-billing by Texarkana Water Utilities was settled and a new partnership fostered. As part of the lawsuit, mayors of Annona, Avery, DeKalb, Hooks, Maud, New Boston, Texarkana, Texas, and Wake Village formed a new water coalition.
The mayors from each of the cities met at the New Boston Community Center to sign ordinances passed by each city's council to extend and amend a 1969 water contract. The multi-city water organization agreement became Riverbend Water Resrouces District.
Riverbend gets reconstructed
December 2011
Riverbend Water Resources District was remodeling in 2011, and started 2012 with a new board.
The Texas water district was formed as a result of a lawsuit between seven small Bowie County cities and Texarkana, Texas.
Its enabling legislation called for nine original members, including Annona, Avery, DeKalb, Hooks, Maud, New Boston, TexAmericas Center, Texarkana and Wake Village. Before the change, each member city had one representative on the Riverbend board. Local state Rep. George Lavender, R-Texarkana, and state Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, proposed a bill to the Texas Legislature to reshape the district. The bill passed, and Riverbend now had five board members. Two directors represent Texarkana, one director represents New Boston, one director represents TexAmericas Center and one director represents the other towns and entities. 2012 began with a board made of Kelly Mitchell and Marshall Wood as Texarkana's directors; Sean Rommel as the TexAmericas director; and Fred Milton as New Boston's director. James Carlow holds the collective director's seat.
Riverbend also expanded during the years to include Redwater, Nash, Leary, Atlanta, Bowie County and Red River County.
Riverbend's goal is to ensure an adequate water supply for the area and develop a regional plan for water quantity.
The new board structure effectively stopped a lot of ongoing fussing and fighting over water in the immediate region and provided a unified front for developing and protecting regional water interests.
Wastewater
plant approved
March 2012
TexAmericas Center broke ground on a new wastewater plant after signed a $5.4 million contract with Heritage Constructors of Texarkana, Texas. The majority of the funding for the project came from a 2005 bond issue.
The plant was built on the east side of TexAmericas' property, replacing the existing plant. The old plant was demolished after the new plant was built except for the sludge-drying beds.
The $7.5 million sequencing-batch reactor plant will replace the current one, which is vintage 1940s.
When completed, it will treat about 1.5 million gallons of waste per day.
Bill Cork, executive director of TexAmericas at the time, told the crowd "It's important for us as an industrial park to offer quality utility service to Red River Army Depot, our industrial tenants and future users."
Officials felt the new plant, which took a little more than a year to complete, made the depot less vulnerable to base closure efforts.
TexAmericas, located between Hooks and New Boston, Texas, is home to many businesses, including defense and logistics contractors and construction and electrical companies.