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                                  * * * * *