FORT WORTH, Texas – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, announced today it has conducted a review of the Cooperative Joint Management arrangements (agreements and leases) it has with its non-profit cooperating associations at Benbrook, Lavon, Lewisville and Sam Rayburn lakes.
The Fort Worth District, which manages 25 lakes in the state of Texas, currently has a long-standing partnership with the non-profit cooperative association, Our Lands and Waters Foundation. The district entered into the cooperative agreement with the foundation based on a 2009 interpretation of the CJM agreement that allowed cooperating associations to collect fees generated from the public’s use of USACE recreation facilities. The agreement also allowed the cooperating associations to reinvest fees collected to perform operation and maintenance of facilities within the jointly-managed leased areas.
Since all user fees must be deposited into the Lands and Waters Conservation Fund in the U.S. Treasury; the fees can no longer be retained by the cooperating association.
“We met with Our Lands and Waters Foundation to inform them that based on the legal review and determination they must immediately curtail expenditures of any funds generated by user fees,” said Col. Charles Klinge, commander, Fort Worth District. “We also informed the foundation that we would take over all operations and maintenance of our recreational facilities.”
Due to the current budget environment, these changes in operations could result in either reducing the level of service or closing some recreational areas. However, all affected recreational areas will remain open over the weekend.
“We regret the circumstances that require us to discontinue our cooperative agreement with Our Lands and Waters Foundation and are working diligently to find alternative solutions to keep our recreational facilities open,” said Klinge.
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About the Fort Worth District: The Fort Worth District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was established in 1950. The District is responsible for water resources development in two-thirds of Texas, and design and construction at military installations in Texas and parts of Louisiana and New Mexico. Visit the Fort Worth District website at:
www.swf.usace.army.mil and SWF Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fort-Worth-District-US-Army-Corps-of-Engineers/188083711219308
Release no. 13-055