Honorable Lyle Larson, Chair, House Committee on Natural Resources
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB3028 by Burns (Relating to groundwater ownership and rights.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Water Code to create new rules for groundwater conservation districts regarding current and future use of groundwater and to create new rights for landowners concerning groundwater. The bill would allow groundwater conservation districts to request technical assistance from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) regarding the merits of a petition for a district to engage in rulemaking. When such assistance is requested, TWDB would have 60 days to provide a technical response. Based on the analysis of TWDB, duties and responsibilities associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could be accomplished using existing resources.
Local Government Impact
According to the Rusk County Groundwater Conservation District, the bill would require the District to hire a consultant to work with legal counsel in the creation of rules regarding fair share. The associated costs of consultancy, legal counsel, and data modeling would approximate $50,000. The District's annual budget this fiscal year is $186,375; therefore, this analysis assumes the fiscal impact to the District would be significant.