H.R. No. 1617

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The North Texas Municipal Water District has
	received the 2011 Texas Environmental Excellence Award for water
	conservation; and
	WHEREAS, Established by the Texas Commission on
	Environmental Quality, the Texas Environmental Excellence Awards
	celebrate the bold efforts of citizens, communities, businesses,
	and organizations to preserve and protect the state's environment;
	the awards are presented each spring in diverse categories across
	the public and private sectors; and
	WHEREAS, The North Texas Municipal Water District, which
	provides services to more than 1.6 million area residents, is
	meeting the growing demand for water through a unique, natural
	solution; its East Fork Wetland Project in Kaufman County diverts
	water from the east fork of the Trinity River and uses plants, not
	machinery, to remove sediment, nitrogen, and other elements by
	routing the water through approximately 1,840 acres of wetland
	habitat; the cleansed water is then pumped to Lake Lavon for storage
	and water supply use; the project is expected to eventually provide
	enough water to serve a half-million people per year; and
	WHEREAS, One of the largest constructed wetlands in the
	United States, the East Fork Wetland also provides enhanced
	habitats for wildlife, and in 2010, the water district constructed
	the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center, an educational facility that
	promotes research in water quality and supply, wildlife management,
	and wetland systems; and
	WHEREAS, The district supplemented its development of new
	raw-water supplies by becoming the first entity to implement the
	Texas Water Development Board's Water IQ public awareness program;
	responding to the worst drought conditions in a half-century, this
	campaign helped curb projected peak-day water consumption by an
	estimated 200 million gallons a day in 2006, and consumption has
	remained below the expected water demand despite population growth;
	and
	WHEREAS, With its innovative strategies to use reclaimed
	water and enact important water conservation programs, the North
	Texas Municipal Water District is demonstrating exemplary
	stewardship of our state's natural resources, and it is indeed
	worthy of this prestigious accolade; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
	Legislature hereby congratulate the North Texas Municipal Water
	District on its receipt of the 2011 Texas Environmental Excellence
	Award for water conservation and that all those associated with the
	East Fork Wetland Project and the Water IQ program be commended for
	their outstanding work; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
	prepared for the district as an expression of high regard by the
	Texas House of Representatives.
	Gooden
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 1617 was adopted by the House on May
	3, 2011, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House