Interior Secretary Stewart Udall & A.A. Meredith set off explosives to initiate construction of Sanford Dam
Groundbreaking Ceremony

1965: Storage of water in Lake began.  National Park Service designated to manage recreation.  Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument created by Congress.  In June, inflow to the Lake increased storage to 158,000 acre-feet.  Lake officially named Lake Meredith to honor A.A. Meredith.

1966: Last joint of pipe for Canadian River Aqueduct laid south of Lubbock.  Sanford Dam and Lake Meredith dedicated November 1.


Workers placing last joint of pipe for Canadian River Aqueduct


Dedication of Sanford Dam and Lake Meredith November 1, 1966

1967: In October, John C. Williams named General Manager effective July 1, 1968.  In December, Project facilities were declared ready to deliver water in 1968.  Preliminary Final Cost Notice issued by USBR, cost at $84,605,000 of which all but $4,912,000 was reimbursable.  Interest during construction made the reimbursable obligation a total of $84,820,440.

1968: On April 1, normal deliveries of water began.  On July 1, operation and maintenance of the Project was transferred to CRMWA.


Sanford Dam Looking Upstream

1969: First payment made on debt to USBR in the amount of $2,014,060.

1971: Salt springs located downstream from Ute Dam, near Logan, New Mexico, a Federal study of brine inflows was requested.

1972: Amarillo, Borger, and Pampa filed suit on CRMWA and other Cities over operation and maintenance rates.

1973: Lake Meredith reached a depth of 101.9 feet, storing 540,000 acre-feet.

1974: Visitation to Lake Meredith for the year was 1,732,221.

1975: Final Cost Notice issued by USBR, obligation set at $83,358,280.21.

1977: USBR reported finding a shallow brine aquifer near Logan, New Mexico.  On October 12, a manual was adopted to determine the cost for delivery of water to the Cities and the operation and maintenance rate lawsuit was resolved.

1978: Ray Renner (Lamesa) elected President; Mr. Jack Skaggs (Plainview) Vice President.

1979: USBR reported that saline inflow could be controlled by pumping from wells.

1981: Lake Meredith reached a low level of 63.16 feet on May 28.

1982: Jack Skaggs (Plainview) elected President; E.R. Moore (O'Donnell) Vice President.

1983: Ute Dam in New Mexico enlarged to store 279,000 acre-feet, potentially reducing water inflow to Lake Meredith.

1984: USBR reported settlement of outstanding construction claims, adding $338,000 to payment obligation.

1986: USBR Technical Report issued with plan to control brine inflows.

1987: Texas and Oklahoma filed suit on New Mexico over Ute Dam enlargement.  Texas Legislature amended Enabling Act to allow for Salinity Control.  Engineering study reported firm yield of Lake Meredith to be 76,000 acre-feet per year.

1989: Efforts to authorize Salinity Control Project "bottled up" in Congress.

1990: Lake Meredith designated a National Recreation Area.

1992: E.R. Moore (O'Donnell) elected President, Norman Wright (Plainview) Vice President.  Grant from Texas Water Development Board for Alternate Water Supply Study approved.  Congress authorized the Lake Meredith Salinity Control Project (LMSCP), providing for USBR to design and supervise construction, and for CRMWA to pay for construction and to operate and maintain the Project after completion.

1993: Texas Legislature appropriated $3,000,000 matching funds for LMSCP.  Three Member Cities expressed interest in obtaining groundwater supplies.  The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Texas and Oklahoma in the Canadian River Compact suit against New Mexico.

1994: The Board of Directors approved purchase of 42,765 acres of water rights, pending approval of the Member Cities.

1996: In January, the Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District (PGCD) issued a revised permit for 40,000 acre-feet pumping per year and the CRMWA Board accepted and approved an amended time for purchasing Roberts County water rights.  $19,500,000 in revenue bonds for investigation and purchase of water rights were sold and the purchase closed on August 13.  In October, Congress passed a drought relief measure crediting $4,000,000 on the Authority's dept to USBR and deferring remaining payments for three years.

1997: In February, USBR advised that CRMWA needed permission to transport groundwater in the Canadian River Aqueduct.  The CRMWA Board authorized filing suit, seeking legislation, or combining the original and groundwater project to obtain the needed clearances.

1999: On February 2, $3,605,000 bonds were sold to finance the LMSCP construction.  On May 25, the USBR dept was paid with $34,806,731 in bonds to pay the discounted $52,207,015 dept, along with cash from Lubbock.  CRMWA received title to the aqueduct.  Bids for the major components of the Groundwater Supply Project were taken on September 9.  Injection Well No. 1 for the LMSCP was completed on September 14.  On September 15, issuance of bonds in the amount of $52,825,000 was approved to retire the 1996 bonds and to finance construction of the ground water project, along with cash from Lubbock and O'Donnell.

2000: On March 22, groundbreaking for the Groundwater Supply Project was held in a special meeting in Pampa.  The Directors unveiled a plaque dedicating the Project and naming the facilities "The John C. Williams Aqueduct and Wellfield."


Testing wells in Roberts County

2001: The Authority filed a protest against applications filed by Mesa Water and others seeking permits for water production in the areas near the Authority's wellfield.  Landowners affiliated with Mesa filed a suit against CRMWA alleging that a Takings Impact Assessment was not adopted.  The LMSCP was placed in operation in September, producing water from seven wells and injecting at a rate of 250 gpm.  In November, John Williams retired as General Manager and Secretary/Treasurer.  The CRMWA Board selected Kent Satterwhite as General Manager and Secretary/Treasurer.  The John C. Williams Aqueduct and Wellfield was placed in operation in December, providing about 35% of the total water demand of Authority Cities.


LMSCP Facility


LMSCP Well Construction in River Bottom

2002: In January, a Resolution was adopted establishing the firm yield of Lake Meredith as 76,000 acre-feet per year, with another 40,000 acre-feet normally available from the Ground Water Supply Project.  A summary judgment was issued in favor of CRMWA in the Takings Impact Assessment suit filed in 2001.  The protests against issuance of the Mesa group's permits were withdrawn when the applicants agreed on well locations, spacing, and pumping rates that would minimize damage to CRMWA.

2003: Efforts were initiated to purchase additional groundwater rights.  Director Ray Renner, of Lamesa, was honored for 50 years of service to CRMWA.

2004: In January, CRMWA began its' pursuit to purchase additional water rights from a large group of 130 to 150 landowners in Roberts County representing around 150,000 acres.

2005: In April, after extensive attempts to purchase water rights, contracts began "flooding in" for CRMWA purchases in Roberts County.  By the end of 2005, CRMWA had signed contract covering 160,515 acres of water rights at an estimated cost of $50,820,533.

2007: CRMWA had completed its' water rights pursuit with a total contract acreage of 212,100 acres at a final cost of $76,293,681.  With the addition of the recently purchased water rights, CRMWA is now one of the largest water rights holders in the state.

History Links:

• Bureau of Reclamation
• CRMWA Enabling Act
• Canadian River Compact