Texas Land Commissioner Buckingham redraws Texas-Oklahoma border to ensure safe water for 2 million Texans

The Texas Land Commissioner announced the Red River Boundary Commission has redrawn the Texas-Oklahoma boundary in order to ensure safe water for more than 2 million Texans.

The redraw will secure and make available approximately 30% of the drinking water supply for the surrounding area.

“As Texas Land Commissioner, it is my honor to work on behalf of all Texans and bring solutions to the table to benefit our great state. This redrawn boundary line will ensure that millions of north Texans’ water comes from a secure source in Texas,” said Commissioner Dawn Buckingham. 

“I am proud of the GLO’s surveying team for playing such a significant role in settling this boundary issue by using their mapping skills and expertise. Surveying has been a vital part of the GLO since the establishment of this agency in 1836.”

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In a press release regarding the move, it was explained that the shift was prompted due to a discovery in 2009 of a pump station that was required to stop operation to prohibit further introduction of Zebra mussels in Texas.

The mussels are believed to have negative impacts due to power plants spending millions removing them from clogged water intakes.

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It was during this pause in operation that a question arose regarding where the pump station was located. If the pump was in Oklahoma, operating it could violate federal law prohibiting the interstate transport of zebra mussels.

“It was determined that the pump station that provides drinking water to certain parts of north Texas was inadvertently built straddling the state lines of Texas and Oklahoma,” it said. 

“On October 30, 2024, the Red River Boundary Commission, composed of Texas and Oklahoma commissions, executed the Amended and Restated Texoma Area Boundary Agreement to correct the boundary issue and ensure the pump station is located wholly in Texas,” according to the statement.