Supreme Court May Hear Fastrill Reservoir Case

By Shelley Kofler, KERA News

Dallas, TX –

The City of Dallas says a new legal development indicates the U.S. Supreme Court may be willing to reconsider a ruling that prevents building the controversial Fastrill Reservoir.

The High Court accepts very few cases.

Dallas First Assistant City Attorney Chris Bowers says the Justices have ordered the US Solicitor General to respond to Dallas' petition, a sign they're interested in this case.

It's important because our studies show the lake we want to build is the cheapest largest water source for Dallas for the next forty, fifty years.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has fought the 25,000 acre- reservoir in Anderson and Cherokee counties. It has designated the site as a wildlife refuge.

Last spring the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals all but killed the Fastrill Reservoir by ruling in favor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Bowers says the Justices are expected to announce by mid-November whether they will hear this one.

Email Shelley Kofler