Upper Trinity Regional Water District is excited to share this inaugural issue of the Lake Ralph Hall Current News eNewsletter. Located in Fannin County just north of the City of Ladonia, Lake Ralph Hall will be Texas’ newest lake and one of the state’s biggest reservoir projects in nearly 30 years. With construction of the Leon Hurse Dam and certain roads and bridges commencing the second quarter of 2021, we anticipate a lot of exciting news and developments. Please share this eNews with anyone you know who would benefit from this information.  

In addition to Current News, we recently launched a new website (www.lakeralphhall.com), a Facebook page (@LakeRalphHall) and a Twitter account (@LakeRalphHall1). The website and social media channels will provide regular updates on construction activities, project schedule, and contracting opportunities as well as providing other resources and contact information. We encourage you to check out the website and our social media channels.    

UTRWD serves 29 cities, towns and utilities, supplying drinking water to close to 300,000 customers. Lake Ralph Hall will provide essential water for a region projecting nearly a fivefold population increase in the next 50 years.  

Construction will benefit the local economy by creating close to 400 new jobs, and the net effect on sales of goods and services expended from Lake Ralph Hall amounts to about $36 million in Fannin County. The lake will also create new recreation opportunities including fishing, boating and nature viewing.  

As we enter the holiday season, we want to extend thanks and gratitude to the visionary leadership of the UTRWD Board of Directors, whose foresight brought the construction of Lake Ralph Hall from plan to reality. We want to thank the elected officials of Fannin County and the City of Ladonia for their continued support and partnership. Last, we are grateful for our members and customers, and our team who supports the construction of Lake Ralph Hall. From UTRWD, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy and productive New Year.  

After more than 20 years of planning, we are excited to start turning dirt!  

Sincerely, 

Larry N. Patterson  

UTRWD Executive Director

Did you know Lake Ralph Hall is named after the former Texas congressman and the dam is named after the City of Ladonia’s visionary former mayor, Leon Hurse? Did you know one of Ladonia’s main attractions, the Ladonia Fossil Park will be temporarily relocated during construction?  

You can explore these facts and more when visiting the new Lake Ralph Hall website and Facebook page. The website is full of information related to facts about the lake; construction and contracting opportunities; economic and environmental benefits provided by the lake; and, resources and ways to contact UTRWD. Follow us on Twitter@LakeRalphHall1.  

Keep up with the latest and greatest news and developments on Lake Ralph Hall by liking and sharing our Facebook page.

Constructing a reservoir takes a lot more than clearing an area and filling it with water. There are several major components that must be built for the Lake Ralph Hall project, including a dam, spillway, lake intake structure and a 32-mile pipeline that will carry untreated water from the lake to UTRWD’s treatment system. To accommodate the new lake, several roads must be relocated, and a new bridge will be built over the future reservoir. The pedestrian-friendly southern SH 34 bridge will allow cars, pedestrians and bicyclists to travel over the lake and access the Lake Office. Additionally, a portion of FM 1550 will be relocated, four existing bridges will be demolished, and several county roads will be adjusted.  

The project also includes a lake office, along with maintenance facilities.  Environmental improvements will occur in specific areas around the lake, including downstream where a portion of the North Sulphur River will be restored to its natural, meandering path to reduce soil erosion and provide aquatic habitat.  

More information on construction, contracting and project components can be found on the new website.  

Once complete, Lake Ralph Hall will provide an additional 35 million gallons daily (MGD) of water and 19 MGD of reuse water for the residents of Denton, Collin and Fannin counties. 

The estimated cost is approximately $490 million, which includes planning, permitting, purchasing land, designing and construction. The Texas Water Development Board’s State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) program will be used to help finance the project.