Canton residents pushback against Grand Saline Creek Reservoir
Posted/updated on: July 7, 2025 at 3:31 pm
CANTON – The City of Canton has applied to flood thousands of acres of land for a reservoir to combat city growth according to our news partner KETK.
In the letter the city said, ” The construction of this reservoir is a critical need for Canton’s drinking water supply to meet future water demands associated with future growth.”
Van Zandt County Commissioner Mitch Curtis said the city of Canton grew by 700 people in the last 20 years. He added that the city is not in a water crisis. Canton Mayor Lou Ann Everett did not comment on the project. According to the application, the reservoir would supply up to 3,950 acre-feet/ year. That amount of water is equivalent to nearly 1.3 billion gallons of water, equaling up to four football fields at a foot deep.
The construction would displace more than 140 homes in the Antioch, Oakland, and the East Center communities.
Residents fought against this very proposal in 2008-09. Over time, they said their appraisals have gone down significantly. Curtis said a neighbor reached out to him about her appraisal dropping $400,000.
“They need to be concerned about it because that land may not be theirs anymore, you know, at some point,” Curtis said.
John Borgstedt is a Ben Wheeler resident but is concerned about homeowners not getting paid the right amount if eminent domain is implemented.
“They’re trying to come in and they’re trying to just not give these people anything. If they’re going to take their land, they’re trying to just pay them nothing,” advocate against the project, John Borgstedt said.
Residents believe the reservoir is not for water usage, but for a lake to attract tourism.
“It’s a land grab so they can turn in and turn it into a recreational spot to attract more people, that’s all it is,” Borgstedt said.
Homeowners add that there are plenty of other ways to bring more water into the city, if that is the case, but they should not give up their precious land.
“You could watch this is happening up in Minnesota or Michigan and we’d say, wow, that’s bad, I’m glad I live in Texas, but it’s happening here,” Swain said.
