By: Armbrister S.B. No. 1030 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT 1-1 relating to creation and operation of a water bank and the 1-2 establishment and collection of associated fees. 1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-4 SECTION 1. Chapter 15, Water Code, is amended by adding 1-5 Subchapter K to read as follows: 1-6 SUBCHAPTER K. TEXAS WATER BANK 1-7 Sec. 15.701. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: 1-8 (1) "Deposit" means the placement of a water right or 1-9 the right to use water in the water bank for transfer. 1-10 (2) "Depositor" means a person who deposits or has on 1-11 deposit a water right in the water bank. 1-12 (3) "Person" includes but is not limited to any 1-13 individual, corporation, organization, government, or governmental 1-14 subdivision or agency, including the board, business trust, estate, 1-15 trust, partnership, association, and any other legal entity. 1-16 (4) "Transfer" means the conveyance of a water right 1-17 or the right to use water under a water right in any of the 1-18 following manners: 1-19 (A) the conveyance of legal title to a water 1-20 right; or 1-21 (B) a contract or option contract to allow use 1-22 of a water right. 1-23 (5) "Water bank" or "bank" means the Texas Water Bank. 2-1 (6) "Water right" means a right acquired or authorized 2-2 under the laws of this state to impound, divert, or use state 2-3 water, underground water, or water from any source to the extent 2-4 authorized by law. 2-5 Sec. 15.702. CREATION OF BANK. The Texas Water Development 2-6 Board shall establish the Texas Water Bank. The board shall 2-7 administer the water bank to facilitate the transfer of water from 2-8 all sources as necessary to provide sources of adequate water 2-9 supplies for use within the State of Texas. 2-10 Sec. 15.703. OPERATION OF THE BANK; RULES. (a) The board 2-11 may take all actions necessary to operate the water bank and to 2-12 facilitate the transfer of water rights from the water bank for 2-13 future beneficial use including but not limited to: 2-14 (1) negotiating a sale price and terms acceptable to 2-15 the depositor and purchaser; 2-16 (2) maintaining a registry of water bank deposits and 2-17 those water users in need of additional supplies; 2-18 (3) informing water users in need of additional supply 2-19 of water rights available in the bank; 2-20 (4) encouraging water right holders to implement water 2-21 conservation practices and deposit the right to use the conserved 2-22 water into the bank; 2-23 (5) establishing requirements for deposit of a water 2-24 right into the water bank including minimum terms for deposit; 2-25 (6) purchasing, holding, and selling water rights in 3-1 its own name; 3-2 (7) establishing regional water banks; and 3-3 (8) other actions to facilitate transfers. 3-4 (b) The board may adopt rules necessary for implementation 3-5 of the Texas Water Bank. 3-6 (c) The board may contract with any person to achieve the 3-7 purposes of this subchapter. 3-8 Sec. 15.704. TRANSFERS AND CONDITIONS. (a) A water right 3-9 may be deposited in the water bank for an initial term of up to 10 3-10 years, during which time the water right is exempt from 3-11 cancellation by the commission under the terms of Subchapter E of 3-12 Chapter 11 of this code. A water right is exempt from cancellation 3-13 under this subsection only once even if it has been transferred or 3-14 redeposited. 3-15 (b) The commission may not bring a cancellation action under 3-16 Subchapter E of Chapter 11 of this code for a 10-year period 3-17 following commission approval of any necessary actions relating to 3-18 a water right which has been transferred while on deposit in the 3-19 water bank. 3-20 Sec. 15.705. FEES. (a) The board may charge a transaction 3-21 fee per transfer not to exceed $10 per acre-foot of annual water 3-22 diversion right to cover expenses of the board in operating the 3-23 water bank. The board by rule shall establish fees in an amount 3-24 necessary to pay for the ongoing administration of the water bank 3-25 and shall consider the duration, type, and other aspects of the 4-1 transfer. The transaction fee shall be paid by the depositor on 4-2 either: 4-3 (1) a transfer of rights on deposit in the bank; or 4-4 (2) a transfer that occurs within one year of 4-5 withdrawal of any water right deposited into the bank. 4-6 (b) The board shall place the fees in the water assistance 4-7 fund where they shall be separately accounted for and used, with 4-8 interest, only for the administration and operation of the water 4-9 bank by the board. 4-10 Sec. 15.706. REPORTS. The commission and the board shall 4-11 provide ready access by the other agency through manual or computer 4-12 capabilities to all water rights permits, final water rights 4-13 decisions, applications, amendments, contracts, computerized files, 4-14 computer programs, and other information related to water rights 4-15 and to the operation of the water bank. The commission shall 4-16 provide the board with all notices of proposed water rights 4-17 actions. 4-18 Sec. 15.707. WATER BANK ACCOUNT. (a) The water bank 4-19 account is created as a special account in the water assistance 4-20 fund and is composed of: 4-21 (1) money appropriated to the board for the program; 4-22 (2) fees collected by the board under this subchapter; 4-23 (3) money transferred to the account from the water 4-24 assistance fund in Section 15.011(c) of this code; 4-25 (4) grants, contracts, gifts, or other such funds that 5-1 the board may receive relating to this subchapter; and 5-2 (5) interest earned on the investment of money in the 5-3 account. 5-4 (b) The money in the account may be used only for the 5-5 administration and operation of the water bank by the board under 5-6 this subchapter. 5-7 Sec. 15.708. OTHER TRANSFERS. Nothing in this subchapter 5-8 shall prevent the sale or purchase of water or water rights by or 5-9 through persons or entities outside of the water bank or the 5-10 creation and operation of water banks by other persons to the 5-11 extent allowed by law. 5-12 SECTION 2. The Texas Water Development Board shall report to 5-13 the governor and members of the legislature concerning the 5-14 implementation of the Texas Water Bank in December, 1994. The 5-15 board shall coordinate with the Texas Water Commission and the 5-16 Parks and Wildlife Department in preparing this report. The report 5-17 shall identify any changes needed in the program authorized by this 5-18 Act. The report shall identify ways to assist in providing flows 5-19 to meet instream, water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and bay 5-20 and estuary inflow needs through the water rights marketing and 5-21 transfer process. After this first report, this topic shall be 5-22 addressed in the biennial reports required by Section 6.156, Water 5-23 Code. 5-24 SECTION 3. Section 15.011, Water Code, is amended by adding 5-25 Subsection (c) to read as follows: 6-1 (c) The board may transfer money in the fund to the water 6-2 bank account to be used by the board for administration and 6-3 operation of the Texas Water Bank. 6-4 SECTION 4. Section 12.112, Water Code, is amended to read as 6-5 follows: 6-6 Sec. 12.112. FEES: EXEMPTIONS. (a) The commission, the 6-7 board, and the Parks and Wildlife Commission are exempted from 6-8 payment of any filing, recording, or use fees required by this 6-9 code. 6-10 (b) The board is exempt from payment of any other fees 6-11 required by this code or any other statute relating to applications 6-12 for water rights or amendments thereto or relating to water 6-13 resources administration to the extent the board has not contracted 6-14 for the sale of water under a water right on which such fees are 6-15 based. 6-16 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the 6-17 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 6-18 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 6-19 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 6-20 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.