Allens Creek Reservoir Project
The Lower Brazos River Coalition supports the Brazos River Authority’s legal efforts to require the City of Houston to sell its share of the proposed Allens Creek Reservoir to the River Authority.
Legislation passed in the 2019 Legislative Session required Houston to sell its 70 percent stake in the planned reservoir to BRA by January 2020. However, the sale is on hold pending an appeal by BRA and the state of Texas of a court ruling saying the 2019 legislation was unconstitutional.
The appeal process was delayed by the COVID-10 pandemic in 2020 and the issue is expected to ultimately be decided by the Texas Supreme Court.
In the meantime, the BRA continues to work with the City of Houston and State of Texas to move the project forward.
On Dec. 2, 2019, the Lower Brazos River Coalition filed an amicus brief in support of BRA’s legal move to require Houston to proceed with the sale of its stake for $23 million, as per the legislation.
The Brazos River Authority owns the remaining 30 percent of the proposed reservoir and argues it has immediate need for the water, while Houston does not.
Background
Allens Creek Reservoir Project
The Lower Brazos River Coalition supports construction of the proposed Allens Creek Reservoir at the earliest opportunity because downstream industries urgently need the water that would be supplied by the off-channel reservoir.
The oil, gas and petrochemical industries – which contribute $29 billion to the Texas economy - are poised to invest billions of dollars more, if sufficient water is available. These industries are customers of the Gulf Coast Water Authority, which alone could use more than 2/3 of the firm water yielded by the Allens Creek Reservoir.
Allens Creek is a proposed off-channel reservoir that would be built south of Sealy, just west of the main channel of the Brazos River. It is currently slated to supply 100,000 acre-feet of firm water a year to users in the basin.