By:  Barrientos                                       S.B. No. 1697
         Line and page numbers may not match official copy.
         Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the composition of an advisory committee to the Lower
 1-3     Colorado River Authority's agricultural water conservation fund.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 27, Chapter 7, Acts of the 43rd
 1-6     Legislature, 4th Called Session, 1934 (Article 8280-107, Vernon's
 1-7     Texas Civil Statutes), is amended as follows:
 1-8           Sec. 27.  (a)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this
 1-9     Act, the district:
1-10                 (1)  may purchase, construct, acquire, own, operate,
1-11     repair, improve, or extend any facility necessary or convenient to
1-12     provide water services in Williamson County in cooperation with
1-13     another special district, a municipality, or another governmental
1-14     entity;
1-15                 (2) may not provide water services in the watershed of
1-16     the Brazos River unless the district obtains in writing the consent
1-17     of the Brazos River Authority before the services are provided; and
1-18                 (3) may transfer surface water from the district to a
1-19     place in Williamson County that is outside the watershed of the
1-20     Colorado River only if the transfer is made to:
1-21                       (A)  a municipality that was a district water
1-22     customer on May 20, 1997, and located in the watersheds of both the
1-23     Colorado River and the Brazos River; or
 2-1                       (B)  a person or entity that pays for the surface
 2-2     water in an amount sufficient to pay both the district's applicable
 2-3     water rate and an additional charge to pay the costs of mitigating
 2-4     any adverse effects of the transfer of surface water to Williamson
 2-5     County from the Colorado River watershed, and provided such
 2-6     transfer results in no net loss of water to the Colorado River
 2-7     watershed as determined by the district's board of directors.
 2-8     Notwithstanding the amounts of surface water transferred by the
 2-9     district to municipalities in accordance with Paragraph (A) of this
2-10     subdivision, the volume of surface water authorized for transfer by
2-11     the district in accordance with this paragraph shall not exceed
2-12     25,000 acre-feet per annum, it being the intent of the legislature
2-13     that the district shall not be the sole provider of surface water
2-14     to Williamson County.
2-15           (b)  The district shall determine the amount of the
2-16     additional charge under Subsection (a)(3)(B) of this section.  The
2-17     additional charge may not be less than 10 percent of the district's
2-18     applicable rate for surface water to be transferred.  The district
2-19     shall deposit any money the district receives from the additional
2-20     charge, and may deposit any other money as the board of directors
2-21     determines, into a separate fund designated as the agricultural
2-22     water conservation fund.  The district may use money from the
2-23     agricultural water conservation fund only for the development of
2-24     water resources or other water use strategies to replace or offset
2-25     the amount of surface water to be transferred to Williamson County,
2-26     including the development and implementation of methods, programs,
 3-1     and strategies relating to groundwater resources, reuse,
 3-2     conservation, and other opportunities to reduce the reliance on
 3-3     surface water for agricultural irrigation, provided that the
 3-4     methods, programs, and strategies take into consideration the
 3-5     surface water and groundwater needs of the affected Colorado River
 3-6     basin users.
 3-7     (c) Prior to its determination of the use of money from the
 3-8     agricultural water conservation fund, the district shall consult
 3-9     with a[n] six-member advisory committee composed of:
3-10           (1)  one member each from [representing agricultural
3-11     irrigation interests that is appointed by the county judges of]
3-12     Matagorda, Wharton, and Colorado counties, as appointed by the
3-13     county judges of those counties, to represent agricultural
3-14     irrigation interests; and
3-15           (2)  one member each from Burnet, Llano, and Travis counties,
3-16     as appointed by the county judges of those counties, to represent
3-17     the interests of the Highland Lakes.
3-18     SECTION 2.  This Act shall take effect September 1, 2001.