Texas, Oklahoma discuss state boundaries due to misplaced water pump

The Texas-Oklahoma state boundary is the Red River, and a water pump station on the border that services North Texas communities was found to be located in Oklahoma territory.

State lawmakers could possibly redraw the Texas-Oklahoma border line after a water pump station that services one state was found to be located in the other state.

A water pump constructed in 1989 that services cities in the North Texas Municipal Water District is located on the Red River, which also serves as the border between Texas and Oklahoma. In 2000, the Texas-Oklahoma border was redrawn, and officials discovered in 2009 the pump was built using the wrong state maps after an invasive species called zebra mussels were found in Lake Texoma and at another North Texas water pump station. The water pump in question was actually located on the Oklahoma side of Lake Texoma, a lake the Red River feeds into. In 2010, conversations to fix the boundary dispute began.

Negotiations have continued since then, and legislators from both states met in April to discuss finding a solution to the boundary dispute.

"Lake Texoma is a flood-control lake for the Red River to soften downstream impact of flooding, but the river runs through the lake, and that is the boundary that we are talking about," Charles McCall, Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, said after the meeting. "In this area where water is so important — it's the No. 1 issue to people — [we must ensure] that the solution we come up with does not open the door for an argument for a taking of water by the state of Texas or any other state that has a current right to the waters of the Red River."

Texas has proposed a no-cost land swap where the Red River boundary is redrawn and each state trades about 1.34 acres of water surface area along a western shore of the lake's southeast portion where the pump is located.

The North Texas Municipal Water District also added that losing access to the water pump would decrease the district's water supply by 20%, eliminating access to safe drinking water for about 2 million people living in Texas. Meanwhile, constructing a new water pump station in the Texas-controlled portion of Lake Texoma would cost at least $50 million and would take several years to complete.

However, Oklahoma state leaders are unsure how to proceed, saying they need to consider state and federal laws before considering Texas' proposal. Counter-proposals could include some type of compensation to cover past water usage, since a Oklahoma law prohibits the sale of water out of state. The Lacey Act, which is a federal law, also makes it illegal to transport invasive species, like zebra mussels, across states.

Currently, the North Texas water district awaiting findings and a possible counter proposal from the Oklahoma Red River Boundary Commission, a team of legal, engineering and other experts assembled by the University of Oklahoma to analyze the property and water rights in question.

"We are grateful to our friends and colleagues in Oklahoma for considering this issue and for working collaboratively with us to find a solution to this unique problem," North Texas Municipal Water District said. "We are confident that, by continuing to work together, we will resolve the boundary while providing uninterrupted critical services to our service area."