Honorable Allan Ritter, Chair, House Committee on Natural Resources
FROM:
John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB3194 by Martinez Fischer (Relating to the renewal or amendment of permits issued by groundwater conservation districts.), As Introduced
No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Water Code to require a groundwater and conservation district to renew a permit at the end of the permit term without a hearing, and to consider an application to amend a permit if the permit has not changed the point of withdrawal, place or purpose of use, or permitted rate and amount of groundwater withdrawal.
The bill also would authorize a district to amend an operating permit to adjust the amount or rate of authorized withdrawals by not more than five percent, based on a finding and supported by evidence submitted to the general manager of the district.
Local Government Impact
There could be fiscal impact to a district, but the amounts would vary depending on current procedures and a district's budget.
According to information provided by several districts, if a district were required to hold a public hearing, the cost could be more than $12,000 per hearing which would be a significant portion of the current budgets ($25,000 to $100,000). In addition, while the five percent change to a permit would not result in increased costs, it could dramatically affect the amount of water that would be available.