NCTCOG is establishing a Regional Ecosystem Framework (REF) for North Texas. The REF “is based on a collaboratively developed vision of desired future conditions that integrates ecological, economic, and social factors” (Eco-Logical). This is being accomplished on a watershed basis by connecting people, places, and programs.

NCTCOG has clustered more than 300 subwatersheds (HUC12), delineated by the USDA – NRCS, into 21 "Regional Watersheds." See the map below. We have further organized these watersheds into three groupings—“river,” “lakes,” and “surrounding" watersheds. The “river" watersheds drain to the Trinity River for the urban area, the “lakes” watersheds drain to major water supply lakes of the Upper Trinity, and the “surrounding” watersheds drain to lakes or rivers surrounding the Upper Trinity.

The REF is the "umbrella" framework for a variety of regional initiatives, such as:

• Watershed Protection for Water Supply Reservoirs in North Central Texas
  • Project Fact Sheet [PDF]
• Assessment of Challenges to Watersheds of Water Supply Reservoirs
  Final Summary Report [PDF]
• "Greenprinting" two clusters of subwatersheds, Lake Arlington and Lewisville Lake East
• "Proposed Update of the " Policy Position on Protection of Water Supply Reservoirs" [PDF]
  
• Watershed roundtable meetings (May 2011 and February/March 2010)
• Watershed Connections flyers (Spring 2011 issues)
• Enhancing environmental considerations in the transportation planning process

The Regional Ecosystem Forum will provide guidance on REF initiatives. Click here for meeting information.

21 Regional Watersheds

Right click on the map below to download it. Warning: It is large!

File size: 22 MB