1-1 By: Barrientos S.B. No. 1697
1-2 (In the Senate - Filed March 9, 2001; March 14, 2001, read
1-3 first time and referred to Committee on Natural Resources;
1-4 April 30, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 4,
1-5 Nays 0; April 30, 2001, sent to printer.)
1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-7 AN ACT
1-8 relating to the composition of an advisory committee to the Lower
1-9 Colorado River Authority's agricultural water conservation fund.
1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11 SECTION 1. Section 27, Chapter 7, Acts of the 43rd
1-12 Legislature, 4th Called Session, 1934 (Article 8280-107, Vernon's
1-13 Texas Civil Statutes), is amended as follows:
1-14 Sec. 27. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this
1-15 Act, the district:
1-16 (1) may purchase, construct, acquire, own, operate,
1-17 repair, improve, or extend any facility necessary or convenient to
1-18 provide water services in Williamson County in cooperation with
1-19 another special district, a municipality, or another governmental
1-20 entity;
1-21 (2) may not provide water services in the watershed of
1-22 the Brazos River unless the district obtains in writing the consent
1-23 of the Brazos River Authority before the services are provided; and
1-24 (3) may transfer surface water from the district to a
1-25 place in Williamson County that is outside the watershed of the
1-26 Colorado River only if the transfer is made to:
1-27 (A) a municipality that was a district water
1-28 customer on May 20, 1997, and located in the watersheds of both the
1-29 Colorado River and the Brazos River; or
1-30 (B) a person or entity that pays for the surface
1-31 water in an amount sufficient to pay both the district's applicable
1-32 water rate and an additional charge to pay the costs of mitigating
1-33 any adverse effects of the transfer of surface water to Williamson
1-34 County from the Colorado River watershed, and provided such
1-35 transfer results in no net loss of water to the Colorado River
1-36 watershed as determined by the district's board of directors.
1-37 Notwithstanding the amounts of surface water transferred by the
1-38 district to municipalities in accordance with Paragraph (A) of this
1-39 subdivision, the volume of surface water authorized for transfer by
1-40 the district in accordance with this paragraph shall not exceed
1-41 25,000 acre-feet per annum, it being the intent of the legislature
1-42 that the district shall not be the sole provider of surface water
1-43 to Williamson County.
1-44 (b) The district shall determine the amount of the
1-45 additional charge under Subsection (a)(3)(B) of this section. The
1-46 additional charge may not be less than 10 percent of the district's
1-47 applicable rate for surface water to be transferred. The district
1-48 shall deposit any money the district receives from the additional
1-49 charge, and may deposit any other money as the board of directors
1-50 determines, into a separate fund designated as the agricultural
1-51 water conservation fund. The district may use money from the
1-52 agricultural water conservation fund only for the development of
1-53 water resources or other water use strategies to replace or offset
1-54 the amount of surface water to be transferred to Williamson County,
1-55 including the development and implementation of methods, programs,
1-56 and strategies relating to groundwater resources, reuse,
1-57 conservation, and other opportunities to reduce the reliance on
1-58 surface water for agricultural irrigation, provided that the
1-59 methods, programs, and strategies take into consideration the
1-60 surface water and groundwater needs of the affected Colorado River
1-61 basin users.
1-62 (c) Prior to its determination of the use of money from the
1-63 agricultural water conservation fund, the district shall consult
1-64 with a six-member [an] advisory committee composed of:
2-1 (1) one member each from [representing agricultural
2-2 irrigation interests that is appointed by the county judges of]
2-3 Matagorda, Wharton, and Colorado counties, as appointed by the
2-4 county judges of those counties, to represent agricultural
2-5 irrigation interests; and
2-6 (2) one member each from Burnet, Llano, and Travis
2-7 counties, as appointed by the county judges of those counties, to
2-8 represent the interests of the Highland Lakes.
2-9 (d) The board of directors' determination of the additional
2-10 charge is not subject to review or modification by any regulatory
2-11 agency or authority. Water resources developed or conserved
2-12 through the additional charge may be acquired from any source
2-13 inside or outside the boundaries of the district and shall be used
2-14 to benefit the water service areas of the district's irrigation
2-15 operations.
2-16 SECTION 2. This Act shall take effect September 1, 2001.
2-17 * * * * *