SRC-ARR S.B. 657 76(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 657
76R3930 SMJ-DBy: Brown
Natural Resources
2/28/1999
As Filed


DIGEST 

Currently Texas law requires the regional water planning groups to develop
regional water plans that provide for specific water management strategies
for periods when "flows are at 50 and 75 percent of normal." While this
requirement is to ensure that water providers have plans for those times in
which their water supplies are at levels in which drought response measures
are appropriate to be enacted, the designated percentages of flows are not
always relevant to certain water supplies. In addition, the water
conditions of 50 percent and 75 percent of flow are difficult to define and
calculate on stream segments and  aquifers. S.B. 657 would requires
regional water planning groups to develop specific actions to be used in
drought response plans when identified drought response trigger conditions
of water supply sources are reached. This will result in appropriate
triggers being designed for each appropriate source of water in the
regional water planning areas. 

PURPOSE

As proposed, S.B. 657 regulates the development of water management
strategies for periods of drought. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 16.012(h), Water Code, to authorize the Texas
Natural Resources Conservation Commission (commission) within 90 days of
completing a water availability model for a river basin, to provide all
holders of existing permits, certified filings, and certificates of
adjudication in that river basin the projected amount of water that would
be available during a drought of record, rather than when flows are at 75
percent of normal, and when flows are at 50 percent of normal. 

SECTION 2. Amends Section 16.053(e), Water Code, to require each regional
water planning group to submit to the Texas Water Development Board (board)
a regional water plan that identifies each source of water supply in the
regional planning area in accordance with the guidelines provided by the
board under Subsection (d), factors specific to each source of water supply
to be considered in determining whether to initiate a drought response, and
actions to be taken as part of the response. Makes conforming and
nonsubstantive changes. 

SECTION 3. Emergency clause.
                      Effective date: upon passage.