In the video, Landowner Condemnation Rights Attorney Philip Hundl describes the Lake Ralph Hall Pipeline Project, and he talks about steps that affected landowners can take to protect their rights in the condemnation process. Call or text 800-266-4870 for an appointment or fill out this form to request a no-obligation case evaluation. Appointments can be in-person, online or by phone.
Summary of the Lake Ralph Hall Pipeline Project Video
I’m Philip Hundl. I’m an attorney. My practice area focuses on representing landowners facing eminent domain or condemnation proceedings.
Today, I want to talk to you about the Lake Ralph Hall Pipeline project. Lake Ralph Hall is being constructed on the North Sulfur River in Fannin County, in North Texas. The lake will be just north of the town of Ladonia.
More About the Pipeline Project
The Lake Ralph Hall Project involves placing a dam on the river and creating a spillway. But there’s going to be a water pipeline running from the Lake Ralph Hall, near the dam, southwest to the town of Merit. There will be about 32 miles of pipeline.
Untreated water from the lake will be piped down to these various cities like Celeste and Merit. This is a project of the Upper Trinity Regional Water District, a quasi-governmental agency.
The Lake Ralph Hall Project is massive, and typically, these large projects take decades to complete. Now right of way agents are out there contacting landowners affected by this pipeline. They’ve already acquired all the land needed for the lake. And so now they’re looking at the various tracts affected by the water pipeline.
The Lake Ralph Hall Pipeline Project says that the water pipeline will be completed by 2025. I think that’s a little ambitious, given their stage right now. They are contacting landowners to acquire easement rights-of-way for this water pipeline.
Review of the Lake Ralph Hall Pipeline Project Maps
So let me throw up a few things on the screen. Hopefully, this will work. The Upper Trinity Regional Water District has a really excellent website. A lot of information is available on the site, and it talks about the lake.
You’ve got a map here of the lake. Highway 34 runs right through the lake. Essentially the dam is on the Eastern side of the lake, and the water pipeline will be running where my arrow is pointing.
Hopefully, you can see my arrow, but it’ll be running from basically where the dam is down southwest. And here’s the pipeline running, as you can see on this map. So let me try to get my picture out of the way.
So hopefully, this is helpful. There’s lots of information on this website for the Upper Trinity River Regional Water District.
What Should You Do If You’ve Been Contacted About an Easement
If you’re a landowner who has been contacted by these right-of-way agents, there are lots of things to consider. What kind of easement do they want over your property for the water pipeline? It may not just be an easement running across your property. Is the easement way at the back of your property, at the front of your property, or in the middle of your property? How will they access their easement?
The pipeline project may plan to run across a big bulk of your property to get to the pipeline easement at the back part of your property. Always determine the ingress and egress rights that they’re trying to acquire.
Is there only going to be one pipeline that they’re going to install? Limit it to one pipeline if at all possible. Often with these waterline projects, they have an intention to have multiple pipelines. And so that’s important to know, are they seeking a multiple pipeline easement, or just as single pipeline easement?
And then also are they planning any aboveground facilities or appurtenances? Somewhere along this line or perhaps at multiple places, there will be lift stations to pump the water to its various destinations along the way. And if that’s the case, where do they intend to have these lift stations? If a lift station will be located on your property, well, that’s important for you to know.
It’s Important for You to Talk with a Lawyer
So as part of the negotiation, it’s essential to contact an attorney who deals in condemnation. This lawyer should be someone who can help you ask the right questions. Often right of way agents will ask you for lots of information — information that you’re not required to provide to them at that early stage in the condemnation process.
Your lawyer can help you understand your rights as a landowner. You’ll have a lot more peace of mind and feel more comfortable about the process by talking to someone that understands and knows the process.
I have a website that you can go to, and I’ve got a worksheet of the different steps in the process in the condemnation case or an eminent domain case. I think that’s helpful. Please click on that link to download the steps of the process. I’ll also include a link to this map that we’re looking at right here on the Lake Ralph Hall Project.
Get a No-Obligation Case Evaluation
So again, landowners in Denton, Collin, Hunt, and Fannin Counties may be contacted about this project. You may be asked to sell an easement on your property for the Lake Ralph Hall Pipeline Project. So it would be best if you were well informed about what that means for your property.
Call or text 800-266-4870 for an appointment with Attorney Philip Hundl. You can also request a no-obligation case evaluation by clicking the button below or completing this online form. Appointments can be in-person, online or by phone.
Call 800-266-4870 or text 979-320-9320 for an appointment. We can also arrange for online and telephone appointments all over Texas.