OKLAHOMA CITY -- Communities in North Texas hope that a federal lawsuit and a slick promotional campaign will convince Oklahoma officials to agree to sell excess water in the southern parts of the state to meet the future needs of the rapidly growing Dallas-Fort Worth area.

So far, Oklahoma's elected leaders aren't buying it. Political opposition to helping Oklahoma's economic rival south of the Red River and concern about meeting the state's own water needs have blocked the proposed sale of up to 150 billion gallons a year to the Tarrant Regional Water District, which serves Fort Worth and nearby communities.

"Oklahomans need to come first," said Sen. Jerry Ellis, D-Valliant, one of several Oklahoma lawmakers who have publicly expressed opposition to the deal. "Come up here and build plants, pay taxes and employ our people, and they can use our water."

Water district officials say Oklahoma would be helping itself by agreeing to sell excess water that flows from Cache Creek, Beaver Creek and the Kiamichi River into the Red River that separates Oklahoma and Texas.

James M. Oliver, general manager of the water district, said it is willing to pay between $15 million and $60 million a year to transport Oklahoma water to North Texas -- money that could be used to build reservoirs and pipelines to deliver water to parched western Oklahoma.

And delivering much-needed water to North Texas would be a boon to the economy of southern Oklahoma, which Oliver said already benefits from the growth of the North Texas metroplex.

"Even if it's two different states, it's one big economic region," he said. "It certainly benefits Texas but it benefits Oklahoma greatly."

Water district officials are relying on a carrot-and-stick approach to encourage the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and political leaders to consider its application to use Oklahoma water.

The effort includes a three-minute public relations video in which the water district makes its case that Oklahoma has more water than it needs.

The DVD opens with the image of clear, fresh water flowing from a kitchen sink faucet and overfilling a glass.

"Water. It's a precious commodity," a professional announcer says as images of water flowing from a shower head flash across the screen. "But Oklahoma has more water than it can use or is ever likely to use. You could even say the state's glass is overflowing."

The video claims that the annual flow capability of the Kiamichi River alone is enough to serve 11 cities the size of Oklahoma City, the state's largest city. And frequent droughts experienced in western Oklahoma are not due to lack of water but lack of funding to build the infrastructure needed to get the water to the region.

"In times of drought, Oklahoma will always come first," the video states.

The water district has also filed a lawsuit against OWRB members and the Oklahoma Water Conservation Storage Commission that challenges the constitutionality of a moratorium on out-of-state water sales approved by the Oklahoma Legislature.

The lawsuit, filed two years ago in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City, is set for trial on Dec. 7. However, Attorney General Drew Edmondson's office has asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit based on new legislation passed by state lawmakers in May that he claims effectively repealed the moratorium.