Enrolled Bill Summary

The Water Rights Adjudication Act provides for assessments against water rights holders by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission to pay watermaster administrative costs. Similar assessments apply under the Water Code to pay the compensation and expenses of a court-appointed watermaster in certain lawsuits and to recoup commission costs for the administration of water quality management programs in a watershed. Senate Bill 289 amends the act and the Water Code to provide an assessment exemption from those water quality management and watermaster fees for a holder of a non-priority hydroelectric water right who owns or operates privately owned facilities with a collective generation capacity of less than two megawatts.