| TO: | Honorable Kip Averitt, Chair, Senate Committee on Natural Resources |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB800 by Williams (Relating to a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality water quality protection area pilot program applicable to portions of the San Jacinto River; providing penalties.), As Introduced |
The bill would establish a pilot program for sand and gravel quarry operations in portions of the East Fork and West Fork of the San Jacinto River and Spring Creek. The pilot program would address permitting, financial responsibility, inspections, water quality sampling, enforcement, cost recovery, and interagency cooperation with regard to sand and gravel quarries. To detect potential violations, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife (TDPW) would be required to coordinate efforts to conduct visual inspections of the water quality protection area established by the bill and analyses of surface water samples from the San Jacinto River and its tributaries. The visual inspections and analyses of water samples would be conducted at least twice annually, and at least once per year an inspection of the San Jacinto water quality protection area from an aircraft flying over the area would be required. In addition, the bill would require the TCEQ to submit a biennial report to the Legislature.
Although the bill would result in costs to both the TCEQ and the TDPW in conucting analyses, sampling, sampling, inspections, and preparing the report, such costs are not expected to be significant to either agency's budget.
| Source Agencies: | 582 Commission on Environmental Quality, 802 Parks and Wildlife Department
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, WK, TL, TP
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