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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to regulation of production of wells for retail public |
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utilities by a groundwater conservation district. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 36.116(c), Water Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(c) In regulating a retail public utility's [the |
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] |
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production of groundwater based on tract size or acreage, a |
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district shall [may] consider the aggregate contiguous acreage |
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owned or leased by the retail public utility in the district. A |
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district shall also consider the aggregate contiguous acreage owned |
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or leased by the retail public utility's customers inside the |
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district if the customer dedicates its acreage for this purpose in |
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an amount of acreage per customer sufficient to provide service to |
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that customer, but not to exceed five acres per customer. The |
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district may not include the acreage associated with a customer's |
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permitted wells and registered wells with the aggregated acreage |
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dedicated to the retail public utility [service needs or service
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area of a retail public utility]. The board shall record in its |
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minutes the factors provided by this subsection considered by the |
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district. For the purposes of this subsection: |
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(1) "Retail[, "retail] public utility" has [shall
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have] the meaning assigned [provided] by Section 13.002. |
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(2) "Contiguous acreage" includes acreage connected |
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through a retail public utility's distribution system. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |