Geography and Economy
Overlapping much of the upper portion of the Trinity River Basin, Region C includes smaller parts of the Red, Brazos, Sulphur, and Sabine river basins. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area is centrally located in the region, and its surrounding counties are among the fastest-growing in the state. Major economic sectors in the region include service, trade, manufacturing and government.
Region C includes all or part of 16 counties in North Central Texas: Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Freestone, Grayson, Henderson (Trinity River Basin portion), Jack, Kaufman, Navarro, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise.
Population, Water Demand and Water Supply
Region C’s population was well over 7 million at the time the last regional water plan was adopted. Dallas and Tarrant counties, the two most populous counties in Region C, made up 63% of the region’s overall population as of 2016. The region had 53 cities with a population of 20,000 or greater in 2016, and these cities accounted for 84% of the region’s total 2016 population. Despite having roughly one-quarter of the state’s population, Region C accounted for only 9.4% of statewide water use as of 2016. These population and demand figures will be updated in the current planning cycle based on 2020 census data and other newer information.
Region C contains 22 major reservoirs with conservation storages in excess of 5,000 acre-feet, not including the currently in-development Bois d’Arc Lake or Lake Ralph Hall. These major reservoirs and others outside of Region C provide the majority of the region’s water supply.
Further adding to that water supply are the region’s aquifers, which include the Trinity, Woodbine, Carrizo-Wilcox, Woodbine, Nacatoch, Cross Timbers and a small part of the Queen City aquifer. Yet groundwater is a relatively small source of overall water use in Region C, accounting for only 7.7% of the region’s use.
Water Reclamation and Reuse
About half of the water used for municipal supply in Region C is discharged as treated effluent (sewage that’s been treated at a water treatment plant) after use, making wastewater reclamation and reuse a potentially significant source of additional water supply. There are currently a number of water reclamation direct reuse projects in Region C that reuse highly treated wastewater for non-potable uses such as the irrigation of golf courses, industrial or mining uses. There are also a number of large-scale indirect reuse projects, notably TRWD and NTMWD wetlands reuse projects.
Major Water Users and Providers
More than 360 water user groups and 30 wholesale water providers are in Region C, six of which are designated as major water providers – Dallas Water Utilities, Tarrant Regional Water District, North Texas Municipal Water District, City of Fort Worth, Trinity River Authority and the Upper Trinity Regional Water District. In 2016, the three largest wholesale water providers in Region C (Dallas Water Utilities, Tarrant Regional Water District and the North Texas Municipal Water District) provided the majority of the water used in the region.
