FW Weekly's Liquid Power Got Me Thinking About The Tarrant Regional Water District Scandals

I am such a big fan of Texas politics, Texas elections and just about all things Texan.

On May 11 some voters who live in the Tarrant Regional Water District will be allowed to vote for TRWD board members.

The Tarrant Regional Water District, and this upcoming election, are classic examples of the Texas type things I find so interesting.

By interesting I mean bizarre and just plain wrong.

For example, only people who live in certain areas of the TRWD are allowed to vote.

If you live in Haltom City, with that town greatly effected by TRWD actions and in-actions, well you don't get to vote, even though things like flash floods flood through your town, killing people.

This week's FW Weekly has an article about this upcoming election, titled Liquid Power. The article is illustrated with a photo of Layla Caraway standing in front of a TRWD sign, with the caption saying, "Water activist Layla Caraway is among those wanting new leadership on the Tarrant Regional Water District board."

However, Layla Caraway lives in Haltom City, so this water activist will not be allowed to vote in this election.

It is very difficult to un-elect a TRWD board member. The process is sort of stacked in their favor, even to the point of arbitrarily adding a year to their 4 year terms. Imagine the uproar that would rear up if Barack Obama did that. But, in Texas, nary a peep.

The TRWD is being sued, currently, for being in violation, over and over and over again, of the Texas Open Meetings Act. This part of the TRWD scandals is also covered in the FW Weekly article.

The three people who hope to get elected to the TRWD are John Basham, Mary Kelleher, and Timothy Nold.

One paragraph in the FW Weekly article stood out to me....

The three like-minded challengers are not running on an anti-TRV message. That project is inevitable. The challengers characterize themselves as watchdogs ready to provide more transparency and steer the water district back to its original mission.

The TRV is inevitable?

For those reading this who are don't know what "TRV" in the above paragraph refers to, TRV is the Trinity River Vision. That being this really bizarre public works project the public has never voted on, a bizarre project which will remove flood control levees, which have worked well for over a half a century, replacing the levees with a humongous flood diversion channel, plus an ever shrinking lake, along with a wakeboard pond, drive-in movie theater, restaurants and other nonsensical things thrown in, all of which cause me to refer to the TRV as the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

Oh, and Fort Worth Congresswoman Kay Granger's unqualified for the job, son, J.D., was given the job of running the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, which I suspect may be part of the reason the Vision has seen such bizarre things as the Cowtown Wakepark and the Woodshed Smokehouse. And that aforementioned, soon to open, drive-in movie theater.

The FW Weekly article mentions a San Antonio-like Riverwalk as part of the TRV Boondoggle. I may be wrong, but I think the Riverwalk left the Vision some time ago, along with those really cool signature bridges across the un-needed flood diversion channel, which will now be crossed by 3 not so cool, non-signature bridges.

I have been told that the 3 TRWD challengers are not running on an anti-TRV platform because most of the voters don't know what TRV is, and polls show that most of the voters, who do know what TRV is, think it is a super wonderful thing that will make the rest of the world even more Green With Envy when people think of one of the Greatest Cities in the World, that being Fort Worth.

Well, methinks perhaps, if the majority of the locals are ignorant regarding Fort Worth's latest, and likely, Greatest boondoggle, that being the Trinity River Vision, with its big price tag, with the money actually being spent on a dubious economic development project, propaganda-ized  as being a much needed flood control project, well, educating voters regarding the idea that it might be in their interest to un-elect the buffoons who initiated the un-voted for Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, might be a way to motivate voters to go to the effort to vote the scoundrels out.

But, what do I know? I'm just a cranky person who knows GOOFY when I see it.....

It Is Saturday May 8, A Day To Vote In Texas For Adrian Murray & John Basham

I think I'll go do me some voting today. I think the last time I did myself some voting was when I was one of the 6% of eligible Fort Worth voters who managed to be one of the 30% who did not vote to re-elect Fort Worth's corrupt, ethics challenged, conflicts of interest laden, sad excuse for a mayor, Mike Moncrief.

Today I'm hoping to be one of the over 51% of the 6% of eligible voters who vote for Adrian Murray and John Basham to replace Marty Leonard and Jim Lane on the Tarrant Regional Water Board.

I think I'll go to a Poll Party tonight. That's where a group eagerly awaits the election returns.

In the meantime, before Poll Partying and after voting, I think I'll have myself some peaceful time at the Tandy Hills Natural Sanatorium Area.

And, by tomorrow morning, my pool should be filled and ready for a return to swimming. It's about time. The lack of my morning pool time has made me unusually grumpy.

Comments About Adrian Murray & John Basham For Tarrant Regional Water Board With Fresh Marty Leonard Nonsense

This morning I was freshly amused by letters to the editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram regarding the May 8 Tarrant Regional Water Board election. I've opined, previously, that letters in support of challengers, Adrian Murray and John Basham, seem genuine and original, while letters in support of Jim Lane, and particularly, Marty Leonard, seemed contrived, phony and a shill-like propaganda product.

This morning there was only one letter regarding the Water Board election and it was another Marty Leonard one that reads as if it comes from the same pen. I won't bother copying this Marty Leonard letter, since like I've said, they are all basically the same letter.

Today's letter's choice line was, "Marty is a Fort Worth native with a strong commitment to our city."

Is that not a compelling argument to vote for this woman?

Meanwhile, previous bloggings about the Water Board election got a couple of comments in support of Adrian Murray and John Basham, this morning, that sound as genuine and real as the letters to the editor in support of the Dynamic Duo, do.

Those two comments below...

alicialany said...

AHH Jim Lane... isn't he the same Jim Lane, an attorney, who is responsible for the city of Forest Hill going down the tubes, why yes, yes it is. We don't need anymore lawyers running the government and we certainly don't need to be reading glowing editorials for Jim Lane written by other lawyers (Smith). Time to stand up people! Vote them out and vote Adrian Murray and John Basham, they are patriots and good men who will look out for the citizens.

Andrea K said...

I am voting for Adrian Murray and John Basham. I know these two honorable men and they will listen to the citizens of Tarrant County and protect the citizens property from being stolen for eminent domain. Too often the government just does what it wants without regard for the taxpayers. (for instance, outsourcing the contract to a company out of state) Adrian and John will respect the taxpayers' wishes. Vote for Adrian Murray and John Basham!
___________________________________________

Let me see if I can write a Marty Leonard type endorsement letter...

To the Editor:

There is no one alive in Texas who has done more to assure that Texans have had the water needed to nourish our families and keep them clean than Marty Leonard. Marty Leonard is the reason the rest of the world is green with envy over the water of Texas.

Under Marty Leonard's visionary leadership the lives of untold thousands of Texans have been vastly improved.

Marty Leonard has expanded the role of the Water Board to include providing new parkland for the citizens she works so hard to serve. Marty Leonard is instrumental in directing the Tarrant Regional Water Board's visionary leadership role in the Trinity River Vision which will protect our citizens from floods for decades, saving lives and providing a recreational opportunity unparalleled in the known universe.

In addition to all Marty Leonard has done during her wise stewardship she has also done many other good works, including regularly giving homeless people shelter in her modest west Fort Worth home.

We can not afford not to re-elect Marty Leonard to this very important position so that she can guide us through the coming years of growth, working hard to save our water and find a fresh supply from Oklahoma.

Durango Jones
Fort Worth, Texas

Tarrant Regional Water Board Early Voting Ends Today

Once again there were letters to the editor of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about the current Tarrant Regional Water Board member election candidates.

And once again a letter in support of Adrian Murray and John Basham sounded real while a letter in support of Marty Leonard sounded contrived, phony and shill-like.

My favorite line in the pro Adrian Murray/John Basham letter is, "Taxpayers, why stand ye here idle when your money is being thrown down the river?"

To me the silliest line in the pro Marty Leonard letter is, "Marty has given so freely of herself, thousands of North Texans have a better life."

Both letters in their entirety...

Tarrant water board

No City Council since Chuck Silcox and Clyde Picht, no Commissioners Court and no Chamber of Commerce has sounded the war tocsin against the near-billion-dollar Trinity Uptown boondoggle. They're all asleep in Fort Worth. Even now comes another surprise, a new version of an expensive bridge to nowhere.

Taxpayers, why stand ye here idle when your money is being thrown down the river? Elect Adrian Murray and John Basham to the Tarrant Regional Water District board. Just as St. George of old slew the dragon, Murray and Basham are pledged to slay this Trinity Uptown tax-eating monster, the mother of all eminent domain earmarks. Victory is in view! Oh the joy!

-- Don Woodard Sr., Fort Worth

For years, Marty Leonard has unselfishly served our community in so many ways, including leadership roles at Baylor All Saints Medical Center, the United Way, the Lena Pope Home and the Tarrant Regional Water District board. Because Marty has given so freely of herself, thousands of North Texans have a better life.

During her tenure, the water board has added 400 acres of parkland in Tarrant County. The board received the state of Texas' highest award for water conservation programs, and there has been no increase in the tax rate of 2 cents per $100 valuation of property.

Today, the water board is actively pursuing obtaining water rights in Oklahoma that would sustain our water supply and growth for decades. We are fortunate to have Marty Leonard as a guardian of our most precious resources. We need her experience and dedication to secure our future.

-- Scott and Lynda Dally, Aledo

Adrian Murray John Basham Campaign Signs Disappearing

You're looking at one of the few remaining Adrian Murray/John Basham Tarrant Regional Water District Board campaign signs left standing.

I won't disclose the exact location of this sign so that it might escape being kidnapping by nefarious miscreants.

I learned of the nefarious miscreanting yesterday via the following....

The large 4' x 8' campaign signs for Adrian Murray and John Basham are quickly becoming collector items. Eager collectors have been snatching them up in the week prior to the election and the once abundant signs are disappearing from vacant lots and roadsides all across the district.

The most prominent and well-known collector is life-long Fort Worth native, heiress and well-known spinster Marty Leonard, who has personally gathered up 50 of the sought-after signs. Ms. Leonard, who coincidentally is the incumbent in the seat both Murray and Basham are seeking, said her actions in taking the signs should not be interpreted in any way as an attempt to interfere with their campaign.

"Quite the contrary," she explained when reached by phone at her $2.4 million mansion in Westover Hills. "It's plainly obvious that these young men are superbly qualified, certainly more so than either me or Jim Lane. Their victory in Saturday's election is a fait accompli and I'm merely trying to save them all that time next week picking up their campaign signs. This way they can get right to work cleaning up the mess we have made at the water board."

Ms. Leonard went on to explain that the large signs will make a shrewd investment. "May 8, 2010 will go down in history as the day corruption in this city finely began to be cleaned up and these are the men who will do it. Only 100 of these signs were ever produced and I've got 50 of them. They'll be worth a pile of money one day."

Asked if she had any concerns that removing an opponent's campaign signs before election day is illegal and ethically immoral, Leonard stated, "Practically everything we do at the water board is illegal and ethically immoral. It's a hard habit to break."

Some Tarrant Regional Water Board Letters Make Sense Others Are Nonsense

I confess to being very socially irresponsible. Because I forgot to go Early Vote yesterday for Adrian Murray and John Basham to be members of the Tarrant Regional Water Board.

I will try to remember to vote today.

I am finding the Letters to the Editor, in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, regarding the Tarrant Water Board election, to be interesting.

Interesting in a way I don't think some of the letter writers intend. On the one hand there are very real, very honest, very, I don't know, factual, maybe, type letters. Those would be the ones in support of Adrian Murray and John Basham.

And then you have the Letters to the Editor in support of the current Tarrant Water Board Regime. They all sound phony, contrived, cliche-ridden, like this line about Jim Lane..."he has worked to protect our environment, including the water that nourishes and cleans our families."

Or this line about Marty Leonard..."Her dedication to our well-being is far-ranging and monumental, but in no case more so than that of water: clean and sustainable water..."

And then you have the Letter to the Editor from Louis McBee, in support of Adrian Murray and John Basham. Mr. McBee's letter raises a real issue, unlike the other two letters, which to me, come across as the work of propaganda shills.

Three letters, first the "real" one from Louis McBee and then the 2 cliche-ridden, basically pointless, point-free letters from supposed supporters of Leonard and Lane....

Tarrant water board

I am not at all surprised to see the endorsement of the incumbents for the Tarrant Regional Water District in last Thursday's editorial. What is bewildering is that after all the pontificating about "open and responsible government" over the past few months in the Star-Telegram, you would now suggest that it is "acceptable" business as usual for Jim Lane and Marty Leonard to rubber-stamp staff recommendations with their constant "aye" votes because "the real work" is done in meetings outside of public view -- in committee discussions and (one could assume) at the golf course and over cocktails.

I endorse John Basham and Adrian Murray, citizens who care.

-- Louis McBee, Fort Worth

As a community, we have much to be thankful for: educational institutions, museums, stable business climate, parks and a river that runs through them. We also have individuals who have lived here all their lives and deeply care about our future.

Marty Leonard is the epitome of those who never lost their love of Fort Worth and its people. Her dedication to our well-being is far-ranging and monumental, but in no case more so than that of water: clean and sustainable water, coupled with a determination to ensure that we have sound conservation measures to better use what we have.

Re-elect Marty Leonard to the Tarrant Regional Water District board. Water is essential to our quality of life. Marty understands that. She will strive to make sure we don't take it for granted, abuse it or lose it.

-- Gretchen Denny and George Bristol, Fort Worth

On the Tarrant Regional Water District board, Jim Lane has worked to keep our water clean and plentiful. He has earned our vote. Lane is hard-working, practical, helpful to others and smart but not in a pointy headed way. Lane's record of public service, including service in our military and on the Fort Worth City Council, has been committed to protecting our way of life. And in public office, Jim has not been afraid to ask hard questions and change the way things are done when needed. Moreover, in public office, he has worked to protect our environment, including the water that nourishes and cleans our families.

Vote to keep our water clean and plentiful. Vote for a dedicated public servant: Jim Lane for Tarrant Water District Board.

-- Jason C.N. Smith, Fort Worth

Tarrant Regional Water Board Clown Comments

It is time to do some Early Voting. I must remember to do that today.

I live in the limited area that is allowed to vote for members of the Tarrant Regional Water Board.

Near as I can tell, most of the people, who's water is the responsibility of the Tarrant Regional Water Board, do not get to vote on its members.

Apparently the water district was formed decades ago, well before this area morphed into one humongous Metroplex.

It's as clear as clean water that I'll be voting for Adrian Murray and John Basham. I think the Tarrant Regional Water Board and the citizens it serves would be well served by having a couple of tough question asking adults on board on the Water Board.

And, on a related, yet totally different subject, I got the oddest comment this morning to a previous blogging about the current election.

In this comment a single mom verbalized a very dumb reason not to vote for "these clowns." When I read this comment it seemed hinky to me. As in, why would someone go to the bother to hunt down a blog posting about "these clowns," detailing what seems to be a very minor, supposed incident that supposedly left the single mom shaking?

When I read the comment what first crossed my mind was that the opposition, as in the current Water Board, has a Dirty Tricks Operation.

Or maybe there really is a single mom out there who is very easily overwrought over very little. I think what I found most disturbing was this single mom saying she has her doorknob in her nightgown. And it was shaking.

Anyway, below is the comment...

"I am a single mom, my son left for school today without locking the door. I was awakened with a shaking of my doorknob in my nightgown, the shaking was very loud. I was scared, but after a moment went to the door and opened it very fast to see a black man getting in a gold SUV, then I saw the rather large door advertisement for Adrian Murray and John Basham on my door knob. First of all I have a NO SOLICITATION sign on my glass door before my solid house door, however there is a handle on that door that could have been used to put the unwanted solicitation on. I am upset and angry that politicians feel they don't have to accept the no solicitation sign and can intrude and scare the crap out of people that live in their homes without care. I will not vote for these clowns period!!!"

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Corrected Tarrant Regional Water Board Endorsement Editorial

Well, this morning I blogged about the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's toadying endorsement of Tarrant Regional Water Board members for re-election.

And now this afternoon I receive notice that the Star-Telegram's recognizes and apologizes for its error.

Below is the correction notice...

Here is the corrected version of the Star Telegram’s endorsement this morning. The one that was printed was intended to be sent to The Onion instead. This is the real editorial and the Star telegram apologizes for its error.

Although one of the most important public bodies in the area, the Tarrant Regional Water District is probably the most secretive and corrupt of the county's taxing authorities.

It has been providing water and flood control to one of the fastest-growing regions in the country for more than 80 years. It is difficult to argue with the quality of its work to ensure that the district, which provides raw water for 1.7 million people in Fort Worth, Arlington, Mansfield and much of Tarrant County – most of whom are not permitted to vote for the district’s directors - has plenty of sources for its product well into the future.

Only voters in the six cities within the district (Fort Worth, Azle, Edgecliff Village, Westworth Village, Westover Hills and most of River Oaks) elect its five-member board.

Two men seeking election to the board have outstanding points to argue. Adrian Murray, a businessman and president of the 912 Project Fort Worth conservative grassroots political organization, and John Basham, a consulting meteorologist, are running as a team for the two places on the May 8 ballot.

Murray and Basham, who hope to unseat incumbents Jim Lane and Marty Leonard, say current board members took their eyes off the core mission and instead invested too much time and public money in the Trinity River Vision, a nearly $1 billion boondoggle for flood control and large-scale development along the river north and east of downtown which will allow private developers to scarf up over $200 million in gas royalties earned by the district as well as feast on hundreds of millions in taxpayers dollars.

They also see the 100% "aye" votes at regular board meetings and say the board is simply a "rubber stamp" for the district's staff, offering absolutely no dissent. And they object to a lawsuit filed to force the sale of water from Oklahoma, insisting that "neighbors" should be able to resolve disputes without taking legal action.

The incumbents counter that the district, which operates four major reservoirs in the area, has a superb record of looking out for the region's current and future water supply needs. Lane and Leonard are proud of their efforts to obtain water from Oklahoma, something at which they have miserably failed.

One can't judge the work of board members only by their votes at board meetings, they say, because much of their research, plotting and no-bid dealings occur during illegally convened and closed to the public committee meetings.

Leonard and Lane point to a long list of accomplishments over the last four years, including funneling hundreds of millions of dollars to local developers and law firms, awarding millions in lobbying fees to friends in Austin and Washington and apparently inviting members of the editorial board at the Star Telegram to all the right cocktail parties.

Challengers Murray and Basham no doubt are honest and competent individuals who would not fit in with the current make-up of the water board. They have credible ideas and questions that deserve to be asked and answered but have no place amid the squalor and corruption of the board . They should remain out of the public arena until they learn how the game is played, baby.

But Leonard and Lane, with their long and rich history of doing what they are told, have demonstrated the skills, commitment and lack of integrity needed to be excellent board members on this most important public body.

The top two vote-getters on May 8 will be elected.

The Star-Telegram Editorial Board recommends Jim Lane and Marty Leonard for the Tarrant Regional Water District board.

Adrian Murray & John Basham for Tarrant Regional Water Board

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Editorial Board did some Tarrant Regional Water District Board Member Election Recommendationing yesterday.

Adrian Murray and John Basham are running, together, for positions on the Water Board.

Regarding Murray and Basham, the Star-Telegram says they are, "competent individuals who are eager to give back to their community. They have credible ideas and questions that deserve to be asked and answered. They should remain engaged with the water district regardless of the outcome of this election."

And then the Star-Telegram goes on to endorse incumbents, Jim Lane and Marty Leonard, because of their long and rich history of public service, who have demonstrated skills, commitment and vision needed to be excellent board members on this most important public body.

Well.

The Tarrant Regional Water District is responsible for providing water and flood control affecting around 1.7 million people in Fort Worth, Mansfield, Arlington and a large swath of Tarrant County.

The Water District was set up decades ago, well before this area morphed into a giant Metroplex. Consequently, only voters is 6 towns get to vote to elect the board. Those towns are Fort Worth, Azle, Edgecliff Village, Westworth Village, Westover Hills and most of River Oaks.

Please note that Mansfield and Arlington are not on the list of those who get to vote. Does it not seem like, well, common sense, that all areas affected by the Water Board be included in who gets to vote? Should not this antique setup be updated to this century?

Haltom City also does not get to vote. Haltom City has a deadly flooding problem. That flooding problem, caused by allowing development, without requiring flood control mitigators, does not seem to concern the Tarrant Regional Water District Board in any meaningful way.

The current Tarrant Regional Water District Board is onboard with the Trinity River Vision, that being Fort Worth's Billion Dollar Boondoggle that added an unneeded flood diversion channnel in order to, hopefully, snag some federal dollars.

All the yammering about the supposed good the current Water Board has done, things like a park on Eagle Mountain Lake, recreational trails, an Eagle Mountain pipeline, pales when compared to the good the Water Board has not done.

As in, making fixing the Deadly Flash Flood Problem priority #1.

The area where the Trinity River Vision's flood diversion channel would be doing its diverting has not flooded for over 50 years, thanks to flood prevention levees built by the same Army Corps of Engineers.

It is all perplexing to me.

The Durango Texas Editorial Board strongly recommends Adrian Murray and John Basham for the Tarrant Regional Water Board.

CONFLUENCE: A River & A Creek Runs Through Tarrant County Losing Dollars & Lives

Adrian Murray and John Basham are running for seats on the Tarrant Regional Water Board.

You can go to the Tarrant Votes website to learn more about Adrian Murray and John Basham and what they think needs to be done to fix a thing or two in this corrupted zone of Texas.

Adrian Murray and John Basham's platform is fairly straightforward.

-NO MORE EARMARKS
-OPEN AND HONEST GOVERNMENT
-NO MORE MISUSE OF TAX DOLLARS
-END ABUSE OF EMINENT DOMAIN

Below is a speech recently given by Adrian Murray. Read the speech and I think you'll agree this is someone who we can trust to do good things as opposed to those currently doing bad things that are not in the public interest....

In the late evening of June 18, 2007, Alexandria Collins lay sleeping in her room in her parents mobile home at the Skyline Mobile Home Park in Haltom City. Alexandria, called Ally by her parents, Natasha and Aaron, was four years old. She would never live to see five.

Two hours earlier, a torrential rain had passed through the area. The air was calm now as the rains moved to the north, gathering in ferocity. But neither little Ally nor her parents could have had any idea of the sad mix of events which would converge so tragically that night, of decisions made and not made, of priorities and greed, of visions and lack of vision that would merge violently and sadly in the dark of night.

To the north, heavy rains inundated Keller and the Alliance Airport area. Up to five inches fell in just a few minutes. The grasslands and trees which once naturally would have absorbed all that water were now acres of concrete, streets and parking lots and houses and big box retailers. Instead the water was channeled into storm drains and quickly into creeks. The Collins' mobile home sat just 30 feet from Whites Branch Creek, which feeds into Big Fossil Creek which in turn feeds into the Trinity River. For decades this watershed had been plagued by flooding. But the family had just moved to their new home a month earlier and knew none of this. As little Ally lay sleeping, a wave of water was barrelling south, swelling the banks of Whites Creek.

At 1:00 am that morning the parents noticed that water was rising inside their mobile home. Within minutes it was up to their knees. Minutes later, to their necks. Natasha struggled to get Ally, her sister and a young friend into a rowboat the father had maneuvered alongside the trailer. But the raging waters fought them, waves pounded the small boat and overturned it. Natasha desperately clung to little Ally and was flung violently about in the roiling waters, crashing into fences and trees. She felt Ally pulled from her grasp. Ally, screaming, was swept away.

She was found hours later, laying peacefully on her back in the creekbed on a pile of leaves. The official cause of death was drowning.

Unofficially, the cause of death was greed.

The Tarrant Regional Water District is responsible for flood control in the areas under its domain. It, along with the Army Corps of Engineers, had been studying the persistent flooding in the Big Fossil Creek watershed for decades. Yet nothing was ever done for, as the residents in the area were told, the money just wasn't there.

For all of Ally's short life, the focus of the TRWD had been on something not in its charter: commercial real estate development. Disguised as flood control, the project known as the Trinity River Vision was given birth by the Fort Worth City Council just days after Ally was born. The project consumed the energy, resources and time of the water district's management and board, funneling hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars into a grand scheme to construct a town lake at the confluence of the Clear Fork and West Fork of the Trinity River where Fort Worth itself had been born. The watershed to the north could wait.

A feasibility study for the watershed had been initiated by the US Army Corps of Engineers in February 2001. In a letter to Congresswoman Kay Granger in November 2009, Col. Richard Muraski of the Corps stated that, "Due to a variety of issues, including a lack of consistent funding, higher priority work and technical shortcomings, completion of the study has taken longer than normal." He went on to state that the Corp recognized the "history of destructive flooding" in the area and that approximately $100,000 would be provided to "continue the studies of the Big Fossil Creek watershed."

Meanwhile, $54 million has been spent to date by the TRWD on the Trinity River Vision and the Corps of Engineers has committed $110 million to this alleged flood control project, in an area that hasn't had a significant flood in over 60 years. The project has an estimated budget of $909 million, a figure which is sure to rise.

Ally Collins could have known none of this, of course. She was just a little girl, with little girl dreams. We will never know with certainty if Ally would still be with us today if the Corps of Engineers had not been shackled with a lack of consistent funding and higher priority work. We can say, however, with some certainty, that Ally's destiny was determined in the days just after she was born, when matters of priority and profit, prestige and power, influence and arrogance merged together in the great confluence of corruption and greed that would one day sweep her away in the great dark waters of fate.

As Norman Maclean wrote, "Eventually, all things merge into one and a river runs through it."

Indeed, a river does.