Plan for sewage line through Heard meets opposition

While world leaders are meeting in Copenhagen to discuss environmental issues, the subject has found a local source in the debate over a 3,500 foot sewage line the North Texas Municipal Water District plans to construct through a section of the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary. The Heard has begun a campaign to combat this construction, which it claims will cause both short and long-term damage to the sanctuary.

The sewage line would carry waste water from Frisco, Plano, Allen and McKinney to the Wilson Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant. The first of the construction project’s two phases has already been completed, and the second phase contains the segment planned to pass through Heard Museum property.

Amber Caceres, Marketing and Communications Director for the Heard, said the museum is doing everything it can to fight this project. About two weeks ago, she started collecting signatures on paper for a petition protesting the planned sewage line and Friday signatures began being collected online.

“We would like as many signatures as possible, as many people as are interested in supporting the Heard and also help prevent this kind of incident from happening,” Caceres said.

Included in the list of impacts to the sanctuary that is claimed will result from construction are noise that would scare animals away, perhaps never to return, and prevent people from visiting; potential damage to prairie land plants that don’t grow elsewhere on the sanctuary and will have to be moved to remain alive; and a permanent odor.

The Heard expects an official impact report soon that will show in more detail the results of construction.

In the original plan, the line took a different route through the Heard, and Denise Hickey, Public Relations Coordinator for the North Texas Municipal Water District, said that it was her understanding that the line cannot bypass the sanctuary. She also said that it was the museum that selected the current route.

“The Heard Museum wanted to negotiate an alternate pipeline route,” she said. “And so we, in working with them, agreed on a win-win situation where we could continue with the pipeline and we would install the pipeline at their desired route through the Heard property.”

Upon appraisal of the land, fair-market value, the amount a government entity is required to offer, was set for use of the land. The Heard rejected that offer and is now facing an imminent domain lawsuit from NTMWD. A hearing date has been set for Dec. 15 at Collin County Court at Law 4, where a commissioner’s court will make a ruling on the case.

Hickey said it still looks hopeful that an agreement will be reached before the hearing.

If the project goes through, it will be completed in two phases of 30-45 days each with a 120 day restoration period after the line is finished. The line will be buried underground to cause less disturbance to wildlife.

“That particular route added in excess of $750,000 to the project, of which we’re willing to do so that we cause the least amount of impact to the Heard,” Hickey said, “We’re going to bore, where you actually build a tunnel and insert casement, where the tunnel will actually go underneath the wetlands project there to lessen the impact that it would have if you had to go above ground to lay the pipeline.”

The cost increase will be passed on to citizens through their waste water fees.

But critics point out that an underground line isn’t without impact even after it’s finished, as maintenance and emergency repairs to the sewage line will result in a repeat of the problems construction causes as the line is dug up to be worked on.

The interests of the Heard and NTMWD and are currently in direct opposition: the former doesn’t want the line to pass through its property, and the latter says that it both must pass through and is required to serve the waste water needs of local communities.

Hickey said that NTMWD’s sensitivity toward the issue has been proved by its willingness to change the original planned route, and that the organization is trying to take a balanced approach toward completing construction and limiting disruption at the Heard.

“We as the district have to be very cognizant of both the service that we need and the environment, and how do we best work with those property owners in agreeance so that’s it’s a win-win situation for us all,” she said.

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