The City of Wichita Falls is advancing the Lake Ringgold project as a long-term regional water supply reservoir, responding to an extreme drought a decade ago that nearly depleted existing supplies and caused over $1 billion in regional economic losses. The city describes Lake Ringgold as the only feasible option among more than 20 alternatives studied and notes that the Texas Water Development Board and Texas Legislature have repeatedly endorsed the site in state and regional water plans.At the time of this statement, the project is in the state water right permitting phase with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), with a Commission decision on the permit anticipated in late spring or early summer, and no construction vendor has been selected yet. A final water rights permit would trigger significant follow-on work including detailed design, environmental compliance, land acquisition within the reservoir footprint, and eventual dam and related infrastructure construction. This presents a multi-year opportunity for engineering, environmental, construction, program management, financial advisory, and community engagement firms that can help the city move from permit to implementation of a major reservoir and integrated regional water system expansion.

Lake Ringgold is described as the last remaining feasible freshwater reservoir site for the region and is intended to integrate with Lakes Kickapoo and Arrowhead to improve drought resilience.