Kemp, WCCMUD service agreement stalls




The agreement between the City of Kemp and West Cedar Creek Municipal Utility District for fresh water and wastewater service is no longer the done deal most Cedar Creek Lake residents perceived it to be.

The Texas Public Utilities Commission granted a dismissal on Dec. 16 of the application for a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity filed by WCCMUD to provide the services to Kemp residents.

Kemp Mayor Laura Hanna Peace and WCCMUD lawyer Chad C. Rook confirmed the city staff and utility management must negotiate unspecified matters before the three-year- old project is finalized, even though the utility has already built a water line to the city and constructed an office there.

On the same day the dismissal was granted, the PUC noted the utility had met all the requirements for the certificate to be approved. The PUC documents indicate that both the city and the utility requested the dismisssal.

In recent months, both city officials and utility management expressed frustration about the long process for obtaining state approval and complications that delayed progress.

“We have had issues arise with WCCMUD and are attempting to work through them for the benefit of our citizens," Peace said. "It is our desire to work directly with the WCCMUD board and not through the media. Our citizens are our only priority and we are taking steps to insure that the best interests of our citizens are being served.”

The Kemp City Council will address the city's water system Tuesday night, according to the Jan. 10, 2017 agenda.

Rook said he is optimistic the utility and city officials can resolve any of the issues  standing in the way of the completion of the project. "We just need to sit down face to face and work it all out," he said. Rook added that such a meeting remains to be scheduled, but he hoped it would occur in the next few weeks.

The city and the urtility began discussing the project after the 2011 drought that led to city residents literally running out of warter. Drinking water had to be trucked into the city and distributed in bottles on Main Street. It made the national television news.n

In a city election, voters authorized the City Council to negoiate an agreement with the utility.

 

 

 

 

 

 




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Cedar Creek Lake

Fishing Report from TPWD (Mar. 20)

EXCELLENT. Stained; 62 degrees; 0.08 feet below pool. The hybrid striped bass and white bass have recently been staging in the creek arms to spawn these past few weeks. Fish are now coming back into the main lake in droves to recover from the spawn and are on a feeding frenzy. Look for heavy bird activity throughout the lake on flats and near the dam on edges of drop offs especially on cloudy and overcast days. The bite will continue to get even better in these areas as the shad spawn will start to take place in the next 2-3 weeks across the lake. Retrieve shiny slabs or spinnerbaits off the bottom at a very slow retrieve to catch these fish in depths of 17-26 feet of water. The crappie bite has picked up in the creeks and inlets in 2-10 feet of water throughout the entire lake. We are now seeing the crappie migrate back into the main lake. Look for them under bridge pylons or under docks where the depths are between 4-10 feet. Guides have been reporting exceptionally nice catches on sunny warmer days. Report by Brent Herbeck, Herbeck’s Lonestar Fishing Guide Service.

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