The city of Wichita Falls has sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in an effort to keep information about Lake Ringgold secret, court documents show.
The city filed the lawsuit in the 353rd District Court in Travis County on Tuesday, March 10.
“The City seeks a declaratory judgment from the Court to allow it to withhold from release to the public the documents pertaining to the City’s water right application and Water Use Permit issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (“TCEQ”), construction of the Lake Ringgold Dam and Reservoir, and the city’s actions to acquire land in Clay County,” the city said in the lawsuit.
The city bases its lawsuit on a Texas law that allows a government entity to withhold information related to pending litigation.
Although the TCEQ approved the city’s application to build the lake, opponent — including Clay County landowners — have sued to stop the move. A court date for that lawsuit in Travis County is set for Sept. 3.
The city claims in its lawsuit that release of the information would impair its position in that pending litigation.
Documents requested about Lake Ringgold
In November, Boyd Branch, a Wichita Falls engineering consultant, filed a public information request with the city for documents related to the lake and efforts to acquire land in Clay County.
Branch asked for:
AG ruling on Lake Ringgold records leads to lawsuit
The city asked Paxton’s office to rule on whether it must provide the information. The attorney general ruled on Feb. 11 that the city must release the documents.
The city now wants the Travis County court to overturn Paxton’s ruling.
The city has pursued construction of a reservoir in neighboring Clay County similar in size to Lake Arrowhead for more than 70 years with renewed emphasis following a historic drought between 2010 and 2015.
If the city’s permit with TCEQ is upheld, it must still get a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Cost estimates from the lake range from $350 million on the city’s FAQ website page to $442 million-$1 billion on the Texas Conservation Alliance website. The alliance is opposed to Lake Ringgold.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Wichita Falls sues Ken Paxton to keep Lake Ringgold info secret
Reporting by Lynn Walker, Wichita Falls Times Record News / Wichita Falls Times Record News
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