Heath reaches settlement in water lawsuit – Rockwall Herald Banner
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Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low near 75F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Updated: July 26, 2025 @ 8:01 am
HEATH – After 14 months of legal negotiations, the City of Heath has reached a settlement in its lawsuit against the North Texas Municipal Water District, the City of Rockwall and the City of Forney, paving the way for a phased increase in water supply that city officials say marks an important turning point in the community’s ongoing water crisis.
The lawsuit, originally filed in 2022, was dismissed by the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas on Monday, following a joint motion submitted by all parties. Heath Mayor Jeremiah McClure confirmed the resolution this week in a social media statement, calling it a “major milestone for our city” that should be celebrated.
Under the terms of the agreement, Heath will receive:
– An immediate increase of 500,000 gallons of water per day,
– An additional 500,000 gallons per day beginning July 2026, and
– A final 500,000 gallons per day in 2027, when RCH Water Supply transitions off the City of Rockwall’s water system.
According to McClure, the city is moving quickly with plans to install six deep-water wells and build new storage tanks, which will double the storage capacity.
“For the first time in years, we have a clear path forward – but our water supply remains fragile with summer irrigation in full force,” the mayor said. “I’m asking every resident to continue conserving and please help the city with usage modeling by watering on your designated days in the designated hours. Every drop truly counts.”
Heath has not been a direct customer of NTMWD. Instead, the city has purchased its water through the City of Rockwall – an NTMWD member – under a contracted daily limit of six million gallons. The city’s storage infrastructure has also struggled to keep pace, with tank refill rates falling behind usage during peak periods.
Last summer, a combination of high demand and a system malfunction caused the city’s water tanks to run dry, leading to a boil water notice until testing confirmed water safety.
Heath has submitted an application to become a direct NTMWD customer but approval and construction of a delivery point could take five to six years. The city has also spent roughly $1.5 million in legal fees over the course of multiple lawsuits related to water service.
Heath’s population has grown at an annual rate of about 3%, with 100 to 125 new homes built each year. Complicating the situation are nearly 900 homes in developments that had already submitted permit applications – projects that, under Texas law, cannot be halted by a moratorium.
Though a temporary development moratorium was in place from November 2023 to March 2024, Chapter 245 of the Texas Local Government Code prohibits cities from stopping projects with submitted applications, regardless of approval status.
As recently as this week, city officials were on the verge of triggering Stage 2 water restrictions as daily water usage approached critical levels. If citywide usage exceeds 90% of that 6 million allowable gallons for two days within a rolling seven-day period, Stage 2 restrictions would be initiated to help prevent a water supply crisis, including reducing outdoor watering to once per week.
Under Stage 1 guidelines, residents must adhere to assigned watering days and avoid using sprinklers during peak heat hours.
For more information, including watering schedules and conservation tips, visit www.heathtx.com or contact Heath Public Works.
Under the terms of the agreement, Heath will receive:
– An immediate increase of 500,000 gallons of water per day,
– An additional 500,000 gallons per day beginning July 2026, and
– A final 500,000 gallons per day in 2027, when RCH Water Supply transitions off the City of Rockwall’s water system.
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Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low near 75F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Updated: July 26, 2025 @ 8:01 am
HEATH – After 14 months of legal negotiations, the City of Heath has reached a settlement in its lawsuit against the North Texas Municipal Water District, the City of Rockwall and the City of Forney, paving the way for a phased increase in water supply that city officials say marks an important turning point in the community’s ongoing water crisis.
The lawsuit, originally filed in 2022, was dismissed by the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas on Monday, following a joint motion submitted by all parties. Heath Mayor Jeremiah McClure confirmed the resolution this week in a social media statement, calling it a “major milestone for our city” that should be celebrated.
Under the terms of the agreement, Heath will receive:
– An immediate increase of 500,000 gallons of water per day,
– An additional 500,000 gallons per day beginning July 2026, and
– A final 500,000 gallons per day in 2027, when RCH Water Supply transitions off the City of Rockwall’s water system.
According to McClure, the city is moving quickly with plans to install six deep-water wells and build new storage tanks, which will double the storage capacity.
“For the first time in years, we have a clear path forward – but our water supply remains fragile with summer irrigation in full force,” the mayor said. “I’m asking every resident to continue conserving and please help the city with usage modeling by watering on your designated days in the designated hours. Every drop truly counts.”
Heath has not been a direct customer of NTMWD. Instead, the city has purchased its water through the City of Rockwall – an NTMWD member – under a contracted daily limit of six million gallons. The city’s storage infrastructure has also struggled to keep pace, with tank refill rates falling behind usage during peak periods.
Last summer, a combination of high demand and a system malfunction caused the city’s water tanks to run dry, leading to a boil water notice until testing confirmed water safety.
Heath has submitted an application to become a direct NTMWD customer but approval and construction of a delivery point could take five to six years. The city has also spent roughly $1.5 million in legal fees over the course of multiple lawsuits related to water service.
Heath’s population has grown at an annual rate of about 3%, with 100 to 125 new homes built each year. Complicating the situation are nearly 900 homes in developments that had already submitted permit applications – projects that, under Texas law, cannot be halted by a moratorium.
Though a temporary development moratorium was in place from November 2023 to March 2024, Chapter 245 of the Texas Local Government Code prohibits cities from stopping projects with submitted applications, regardless of approval status.
As recently as this week, city officials were on the verge of triggering Stage 2 water restrictions as daily water usage approached critical levels. If citywide usage exceeds 90% of that 6 million allowable gallons for two days within a rolling seven-day period, Stage 2 restrictions would be initiated to help prevent a water supply crisis, including reducing outdoor watering to once per week.
Under Stage 1 guidelines, residents must adhere to assigned watering days and avoid using sprinklers during peak heat hours.
For more information, including watering schedules and conservation tips, visit www.heathtx.com or contact Heath Public Works.
Under the terms of the agreement, Heath will receive:
– An immediate increase of 500,000 gallons of water per day,
– An additional 500,000 gallons per day beginning July 2026, and
– A final 500,000 gallons per day in 2027, when RCH Water Supply transitions off the City of Rockwall’s water system.
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images.
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First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:
source
This article was autogenerated from a news feed from CDO TIMES selected high quality news and research sources. There was no editorial review conducted beyond that by CDO TIMES staff. Need help with any of the topics in our articles? Schedule your free CDO TIMES Tech Navigator call today to stay ahead of the curve and gain insider advantages to propel your business!
