On April 16, 2025, the Roadshow stopped at Bois d’Arc Lake, which started providing a crucial new water source for two million North Texans in more than 70 cities in 2023. It is the newest major reservoir in Texas in more than 30 years.
“Like public works, you don’t see it, but this lake water supply system could not be what it is today without the technology you don’t see,” said American Public Works Association Region VII Director Kristina Ramirez, PE, CPM, CFM, and the director of planning and development for Harker Heights, Texas. “While visitors and people who fish see the new dam and 16,600-acre reservoir, it’s the treatment plant and transmission systems, two pump stations, 60 miles of pipelines, and 17,000 acres of forest, grassland, and stream mitigation that get me excited.”
The Engineering & Public Works Roadshow is the nation’s only organized effort to do what it’s doing. The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the American Public Works Association (APWA), and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) have collaborated on the Roadshow since 2022.
“Today we recognize not just the end result, but the people behind it: the engineers, the planners, the construction teams and public leaders who made it all happen,” said President and CEO of Freese and Nichols Brian Coltharp, PE, and the ACEC Texas Board Treasurer. “This is what it looks like when passionate, talented people work together to build something lasting for our communities.”
“In Texas, bigger isn’t just about being better – it’s about adequately serving the needs of the country’s second-largest population across a vast topography,” said Mark Boyd, Ph.D, president, ASCE Texas Section. “The Bois d’Arc project meets those needs by integrating sustainable environmental and cultural protections into its reservoir planning, design and management, while delivering water access to millions of Texans—a true testament to engineering excellence.”
“It is only when a pipe bursts or the power goes out that we fully appreciate the value of our built environment and the people who design, build, and operate critical infrastructure that make our day-to-day lives possible,” said North Texas Municipal Water District Executive Director and General Manager Jenna Covington, PE, BCEE. “In the case of Bois d’Arc Lake, it took more than 1,500 talented people to make the infrastructure come to life. From engineering to support services to construction, the team working to deliver Bois d’Arc Lake was directly responsible for ensuring a continued, reliable water supply for residents in more than 70 communities across Texas.
The Bois d’Arc stop was the Roadshow’s 16th. This program serves some of the fastest-growing communities in Texas and the nation and is an excellent example of great engineering and public works.
All the major elements of the project were built simultaneously between 2018–2023. If setbacks occurred – such as delays caused by COVID-19, supply chain issues, abnormally rainy weather, and a statewide winter freeze in 2021 that caused cement supply delays – contractors adjusted, sometimes converting to 24/7 operations.
The North Texas Municipal Water District also negotiated with local landowners to purchase property at the site and met with the Texas Sierra Club and the National Wildlife Federation, among other groups. As a result, Bois d’Arc Lake achieved the first uncontested major water rights permit in 50 years from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.