Groesbeck water rights dispute of 1952: A splashy showdown with the State Park Board

A contentious dispute between the City of Groesbeck and the State Parks Board over water rights on the Navasota River was brought to a close in October 1952, with officials signaling an early settlement. The conflict, which escalated over that summer, centered around the city’s historical rights to water from the Navasota River, threatened by the construction of a dam at Fort Parker State Park.
The controversy began in June 1952 when Groesbeck officials received notice from the State Parks Board that they would be charged 15 cents per thousand gallons of water released from Fort Parker Lake, created by the dam, into the city’s reservoir located downstream. This demand was met with immediate resistance from Groesbeck, which had held water rights on the river since 1898 and had a 2500 acre-feet annual permit granted by the Texas Board of Water Engineers in 1921.
City officials, led by Mayor Wilcie A. Browder, strongly contested the charge, asserting that the city’s pre-existing rights had been guaranteed at the time of the dam’s construction. The city’s attorneys, from the Bradley and Geren law firm, promptly sought the counsel of Attorney General Price Daniel, who affirmed that Groesbeck’s rights had priority over those of the State Parks Board. Despite this assurance, the board escalated the dispute by accusing Groesbeck of "willful waste of water" and requesting the Attorney General’s intervention.
Browder denied the allegations, stating that records showed that during May, June, and July of that year Groesbeck residents and business establishments used 38,590,000 gallons of water, whereas for the same period in 1951 there were 44,340,000 gallons used, though Groesbeck had additional water and sewer connections and served a wider area than the previous year. He accused the State Parks Board’s Executive Secretary Gordon Shearer of harassment and maintained that Groesbeck was only seeking to exercise its legal rights to the river’s natural flow. Browder also stated that only 421 acre feet of water was used the previous year out of the Navasota River, whereas Groesbeck’s water rights entitled the city to use of as much as 2500 acre feet.
The situation appeared to reach a boiling point because Shearer’s accusations were broadcast statewide via radio and released to the press before being presented to the city officials. This drew unfavorable publicity to Groesbeck and left the city scrambling for avenues of public rebuttal. In response, the city lodged formal protests with the State Parks Board, demanding the release of water as per their rights and the cessation of payment demands.
A breakthrough in the standoff came on September 30, when K.B. Watson, Assistant Attorney General, announced that an agreement was on the horizon. Watson confirmed that the settlement would affirm Groesbeck’s rights to the river’s normal flow, effectively placing the city in the same position it was before the dam’s construction. The agreement was expected to clarify the water rights of both Groesbeck and the State Parks Board, ending a dispute that had threatened the city’s water supply.