City officials argued that the Dallas club has improperly diverted city-owned water to irrigate its second golf course, The Hills, which is located in Plano, and estimates the usage charge to be $600,000. Brian A. Keelan, Prestonwood Vice President and General Manager, said in a statement: “We have been working diligently with all parties to find an amicable solution that’s fair and equitable to everyone.”
Dallas City Council members got into a contentious debate on February 12 over how to deal with Prestonwood Country Club’s long-standing diversion of city-owned water to irrigate one of its golf courses, the Dallas Morning News reported.
The dispute involves The Hills, a Prestonwood course in Plano. The club’s main property and original course are in Dallas. Dallas officials say the country club has improperly diverted city-owned water from Indian Creek in Plano and used it to irrigate The Hills. The practice has gone on, they say, from around the time the course was built in 1986, the News reported.
The city roughly estimates the usage charge for the diverted water to be $600,000. That doesn’t include estimated interest of $500,000 that could have doubled the total, the News reported.
Under a proposed settlement, Prestonwood would have granted the city use of a wastewater easement at its original Far North Dallas property so the city could construct a pipeline under the golf course. That land was valued at $772,000, according to a city appraisal, the News reported.
Council member Scott Griggs questioned whether that appraisal was too generous. He noted that Prestonwood has sued the Dallas Central Appraisal District in recent years, arguing that appraised values of nearby properties were excessive. In those cases, Griggs said, the country club argued for significantly lower values per acre than what the city factored into its appraisal of the easement, the News reported.
“Prestonwood Golf Club is not only stealing water for 25 years, they’re trying to have it both ways,” Griggs said. “Whenever their tax bill comes due to pay for things, they say, ‘Our land’s not worth anything.’”
Brian A. Keelan, Vice President and General Manager of Prestonwood Country Club, said he was confident that the club and the city of Dallas “will find a positive resolution to all aspects of this. We have been working diligently with all parties to find an amicable solution that’s fair and equitable to everyone,” Keelan said.
After Griggs voiced his objections, the City Council in effect rejected the proposed settlement and told the city staff to continue negotiating. Eight council members joined Griggs in a motion to delay a vote on whether to approve the deal with Prestonwood, the News reported
Some details about the water diversion remain unclear. But according to city officials and public records, the allegation against Prestonwood first came to light in 2011, when a Plano resident complained to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the News reported.
According to commission documents, Prestonwood “failed to obtain authorization prior to diverting state water,” a violation of the Texas Water Code, the News reported.
The documents indicate that Prestonwood generally denied the allegation. The environmental commission assessed a $1,600 “administrative penalty” as part of an agreement, under which Prestonwood admitted no wrongdoing, the News reported.
Asked by a council member if the country club knew it was taking the water illegally, Dallas Water Utilities Director Jody Puckett said she didn’t know. “Sometimes the boss might not know what the superintendent is doing,” she said.
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