A federal judge, on Thursday signed a settlement agreement [text] ending a land dispute between private citizens and Texas officials against the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) [official website] over territory on the Red River.

The landowners and state officials sued the BLM over the agency’s plan to redraw boundary lines along 116 miles of the Red River. They had argued that the agency’s plan would illegally seize 90,000 acres of privately owned land.

The agreement recognized the shifting of the river created erosion and a new path for the river over time. The shift had been seen to affect 150 landowners, causing the agency to drop the suit and acknowledge the property rights extended to the south bank of the river.

A spokesperson for the landowners stated [My Statesmen report] welcomed the settlement, which grants rights to property owners having control of the area extending to the river.