| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to notice of a water service interruption provided by |
|
|
public water systems in unincorporated areas of certain counties. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 341, Health and Safety |
|
|
Code, is amended by adding Section 341.03561 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 341.03561. REQUIRED NOTICE OF WATER SERVICE |
|
|
INTERRUPTION PROVIDED BY CERTAIN PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS TO FIRE |
|
|
DEPARTMENTS. (a) In this section: |
|
|
(1) "Fire department" has the meaning assigned by |
|
|
Section 795.001. |
|
|
(2) "Hydrant" has the meaning assigned by Section |
|
|
341.03571. |
|
|
(3) "Public safety answering point" has the meaning |
|
|
assigned by Section 772.001. |
|
|
(4) "Regulatory authority" means the Texas Commission |
|
|
on Environmental Quality or the Public Utility Commission of Texas. |
|
|
(b) This section applies only to a public water system |
|
|
located in the unincorporated area of a county that contains a |
|
|
municipality in which the governing body of the municipality or |
|
|
another regulatory authority has adopted standards to require the |
|
|
installation and maintenance of a hydrant in accordance with |
|
|
Section 341.0358, 341.03585, or 341.0359. |
|
|
(c) The regulatory authority of a public water system to |
|
|
which this section applies shall by rule require the public water |
|
|
system to provide to each fire department providing fire |
|
|
suppression services in the area where the hydrant is located |
|
|
notice of a water service interruption that renders the hydrant |
|
|
temporarily unavailable for use in a fire emergency. The notice |
|
|
must be provided: |
|
|
(1) for a planned water service interruption, before |
|
|
the interruption begins; and |
|
|
(2) for an unplanned water service interruption of |
|
|
three hours or more, as soon as practicable but not later than 24 |
|
|
hours from the time the authority is first notified or otherwise |
|
|
becomes aware of the interruption. |
|
|
(d) A public water system to which this section applies |
|
|
shall provide to each fire department notified of a water service |
|
|
interruption under Subsection (c) notice of the water service's |
|
|
resumption not later than two hours after the time the water service |
|
|
is resumed. |
|
|
(e) For purposes of this section, a hydrant unavailable for |
|
|
pumping directly from the hydrant is unavailable for use in a fire |
|
|
emergency. |
|
|
(f) For purposes of providing the required notices under |
|
|
Subsections (c) and (d), the regulatory authority of a public water |
|
|
system may approve the use of: |
|
|
(1) a dynamic information database described by |
|
|
Section 418.192, Government Code; and |
|
|
(2) the public water system's Internet website or a |
|
|
social media platform, as defined by Section 120.001, Business & |
|
|
Commerce Code, that allows fire departments to subscribe to or |
|
|
otherwise receive notices from the website or platform. |
|
|
(g) The regulatory authority of a public water system may |
|
|
delegate the system's duty to provide notice under Subsection (c) |
|
|
or (d) to a public safety answering point that relays information to |
|
|
fire departments providing fire suppression services in the area |
|
|
where the affected hydrant is located. A public safety answering |
|
|
point delegated the duty to provide notice under Subsection (c) or |
|
|
(d) must provide that notice in accordance with the applicable time |
|
|
for notice under those subsections. |
|
|
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|
|
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|
|
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|
|
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|
|
Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |