New refuge aborts plans for Fastrill dam
By SHARON KERR Newsboy Reporter

The creation of a new national wildlife refuge in northeast Texas announced this month by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service aborted plans for Fastrill dam, which had been hotly contested by environmentalists, local governments and loggers.

Halfway between Jasper and Dallas, the Neches River winds between Anderson and Cherokee counties through some of the "last and best remnants of bottomland hardwood forests in the state," according to Susan Kaderka of the Wildlife Federation, as reported in the Austin American- Statesman.

The waters of the Neches River border the western edges of Angelina and Jasper counties, run through the Big Thicket National Preserve, one of the most popular parks in Texas, and supply the coastal wetlands, habitat for birds and spawning grounds for Gulf fish and shrimp.

Fastrill Dam, approved in April by the Texas Water Development Board, had been proposed as a longterm solution for Dallas, where water consumption is 240 gallons per person, per day (as compared to Lufkin, which uses 120).

The lake created by Fastrill Dam would have inundated approximately 30,000 acres, destroying natural habitat and forcing land owners to sell and relocate, reducing county revenues, according to environmentalists such as the Texas Action Network.

The new refuge will eventually conserve more than 25,000 acres along 38 miles of river. The Fish and Wildlife Service will purchase land from willing sellers only, and the Service will make revenue sharing payments to counties to offset property tax losses.

The new refuge will also save the Texas State Historic Railroad, a steam train operated by Texas Parks and Wildlife between Rusk and Palestine. This popular tourist attraction brings $5 million in revenue annually.

The refuge will protect not only the woods and river but also waterfowl, bobcat, river otter and many species of fish, reptiles and amphibians, including the American alligator, according to Dale Hall, Fish and Wildlife Service director.

Without Fastrill Dam, Dallas will need to seek other ways of meeting future water needs, including basic conservation measures.