Texas has a new lake for the first time in nearly 30 years
FANNIN COUNTY — An hour northeast of the DFW Metroplex is Bois D'Arc Lake. A new, manmade lake, the first new lake in Texas in nearly 30 years.
People like Rusty Bass and his wife April have waited years to finally arrive. The couple from Carrollton and hundreds of others were among the first to break in the brand-new boat ramps at the lake on Wednesday.
"We've been waiting since 2019," said Fannin County resident John Iannotti.
The manmade reservoir's original design plans date back to the 1980s, but it took decades of buying property, permitting, construction and waiting for a whole lot of rain to fill it up.
Anglers were eager to drop bait and lures into water stocked with a million fish, including Largemouth Trophy Bass.
"I probably caught 50 fish between two and for pounds," said Richard Saccaro from McAlester, Oklahoma.
Bois D' Arc Lake sits on nearly 17,000 acres and is already proving to be a fishing paradise on its first day. But the lake's primary use is to provide water for a lot of North Texans.
The North Texas Municipal Water District, which provides drinking water to more than 2 million people in 13 North Texas cities created and manages the lake.
"The addition of Bois D'Arc Lake to our portfolio water supplies will allow us to continue to provide that safe and reliable source of water for generations to come," North Texas Municipal Water District Executive Director Jenna Covington said,
The grand opening of the lake offered a more peaceful place to kayak and inspired others who strolled along the shoreline.
"We're excited we are fixing to buy a boat," said Fannin County resident Austin Prett.