County to renew flood control measures
Infrastructure
The Hopkins County Commissioner’s Court has revived the Lake Fork Creek Water Control Improvement District #1 and appointed three new directors to its board. Cody Koon, John Holland and Dale Guest will serve on the new water board.
The history of the Lake Fork Creek District dates back to 1963 when it was created out of an easement by Hopkins County for improvement of sediment flow and flood control, according to county documents.
“In the 1970s we used to get taxes every year from Hopkins and Rains counties… but we’re not getting that money anymore,” Andy Wright, president of the Hopkins and Rains County Farm Bureau told the commissioners.
In 1995, residents Ray and Carol Claxton purchased Hopkins County land which was in the area of the County’s flood control zone, according to the court of appeals.
“The Claxtons sought authority to make some changes in the sediment pool and to take actions involving the level of water in the pool without interfering with the District’s right to maintain or repair the dam and overflow system,” the court stated.
By 2006, the Claxtons sought a declaration from the court that the county had abandoned the easement and failed to perform certain duties required for its maintenance, the court stated.
The trial court first ruled in favor of the county according to the court of appeals, but the court of appeals then reversed that decision.
“The lawsuit came through… when he sued the district, he took most of our money,” Wright said. “We’ve got a lot of conservation dams that are now 50 to 60 years old… Now these structures are wearing out. It’s probably a 30-acre lake, and it’s going to cost probably about $200,000 to repair it [the dams].”
According to Wright, the previous members of the Control Improvement District (CID) have passed away since the 2008 conclusion of the Claxton vs. CID lawsuit.
“We’ve got money in the bank account that we need to rejuvenate the board,” Wright said.
The county commissioners voted unanimously to approve the three Hopkins County members to sit on the CID board. In addition, according to Wright, two members from Hunt County will also join them.