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Why North Texas Municipal Water District Is Building the First Major Texas Reservoir in 30 Years
Construction of the dam embankment, raw water intake structure, raw water pump station, and spillway of the Bois D’Arc Lake Reservoir.
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he North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) provides treated water to 13 member cities and other customers across a rapidly growing region with a population of 1.8 million. It is currently working on the first major Texas reservoir in 30 years, Bois D’Arc Lake. In light of the population growth in its area, NTMWD is also looking into developing new wastewater treatment facilities. In this interview, NTMWD Interim Executive Director and General Manager Rodney Rhoades tells Municipal Water Leader about the district’s history, current services, and plans for the future. Municipal Water Leader: Please about your background and how you came to be in your current position.
16 | MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER | July/August 2020
Rodney Rhoades: The state legislature created the district in 1951. There were originally 10 member cities that participated in the district. We began providing more services in 1956. We had a population of about 30,000 at that time. Since then, northern Texas has experienced explosive growth, and today we serve 1.8 million people in 80 different communities throughout the region. In 1973, we added the city of Richardson; in 1998, we added the city of Allen; and in 2001, we added the city of Frisco, so we now have 13 member cities. In accordance with our enabling legislation, our board has two members for each city with a population of 5,000 or more and one member for each city with a population lower than that. The City of Farmersville is the only one of our member cities that falls into the latter category, so we currently have 25 board members who handle district operations. Municipal Water Leader: Who are the district’s customers? Rodney Rhoades: We have approximately 34 customer contracts with nonmember cities, municipal districts, and utility districts. Municipal Water Leader: Who are the end users of the water? municipalwaterleader.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF NTMWD.
Rodney Rhoades: I have spent the last 35 years in municipal, county, and now public-sector water district work. My experience ranges from engineering and transportation to finance and ultimately executive leadership. I currently serve as the interim executive director and general manager of NTMWD. Our previous executive director retired, and I was appointed as interim director in mid-April. I’ve been with the district for almost 5 years now. I was previously deputy director for administrative operations, covering personnel, human resources, financial operations, and information technology and helping manage the lab for the district.
Municipal Water Leader: Please tell us about the district and its current services.
