Elm Ridge WCID - History

When the idea for the communities of Savannah, Artesia, and Arrowbrooke were first conceived, the areas were located in unincorporated Denton County, outside of any city’s city limits. Therefore, a special district had to be created in order to construct and maintain the roads, water and wastewater lines, and provide the essential services that normally would be provided by a city. Under Texas law, the District would be funded by utility revenue and property taxes, similar to a city, and be run by a 5 member Board of Directors, elected by residents.

The District was created by the Denton County Commissioners Court on September 12, 2000. At that time, it was named Denton County Fresh Water Supply District #10. The District is empowered, among other things, to purchase, construct, operate and maintain all water, wastewater, and storm drainage facilities along with all roads and rights-of-way improvements. They contract for trash collection, engineering, and water facilities management.

The District has law enforcement powers and is empowered to establish, operate, and maintain fire-fighting facilities. The Board also proposed and hired a School Resource Officer to patrol Savannah Elementary School. This was the first School Resource Officer for Denton ISD, approved by the voters of the District.

Initially, the District contracted with the Denton County Sheriff's Department for police protection, and then Little Elm Police Department, however, this meant longer response times and jurisdiction challenges. As the population and needs of the area grew, it became apparent that there was a need for more officers with local law enforcement authority. As a result, the board of directors implemented its own Police Department in 2018 to provide high quality law enforcement services to its residents, with better response times and a community policing approach. The department has been a great success, leading to one of the lowest crime rates among comparable municipalities in the area!

Learn more about the Elm Ridge Police Department by clicking on the https://www.elmridgetx.org/policePolice section of our website.

In 2022, Captain (at the time) Kennedy and the Board of Directors worked together to rename the district to create a more comprehensive identity for the community and reduce confusion. Several potential names were suggested, based on the history of the area. Residents were polled online and chose Elm Ridge as the new name to replace Denton County Fresh Water Supply District #10.

The District currently consists of approximately 1,580 acres of land which includes three master planned communities, 2 apartment complexes, and commercial space. The land mass of each is:

Savannah: 636 acres Artesia: 478 acres ArrowBrooke: 441 acres Other Commercial: 25 acres

Savannah, the District’s first community, began construction in 2003 and the first homeowner closed in March 2004. The community currently has 2,447 single-family residential lots. Construction in Artesia began in 2005, and its first homeowner was in December 2006. Artesia has 1,686 single-family residential lots. Both Savannah and Artesia are near completion. The final master planned community of ArrowBrooke began construction in 2015 and has 1,705 single-family residential lots as of spring 2024. The first home was sold in May 2016, and lots are still selling. The District’s population currently exceeds 21,000 residents, comparable to some of the surrounding cities, and continues to grow.