BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1806

By: King, Tracy O.

Natural Resources

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been suggested that, as the population in the Edwards Aquifer region grows, local water utilities should have flexibility to optimize their infrastructure and utilize water supplies in the most efficient manner. It has also been suggested that a provision relating to the Edwards Aquifer Authority can be interpreted to limit the operations of the local water utilities, which could lead to an environment of unreliable or unavailable water supplies in nearby areas. C.S.H.B. 1806 seeks to address these issues by setting out provisions relating to the use of water withdrawn from the Edwards Aquifer by certain entities.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1806 amends Chapter 626, Acts of the 73rd Legislature, Regular Session, 1993, to authorize a retail public utility that is an initial regular permit holder and the service area of which is contained wholly or partly inside the boundaries of the Edwards Aquifer Authority to use water withdrawn from the Edwards Aquifer to provide retail water service in a county adjacent to the boundaries of the authority where the utility may provide such service. The bill authorizes a municipally owned utility owned by the City of San Antonio to sell not more than 6,000 acre feet of water withdrawn from the aquifer per year at wholesale to a retail public utility or river authority for use in any county adjacent to Bexar County.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 1806 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute limits the area in which a retail public utility may use water withdrawn from the Edwards Aquifer to provide retail water service to a county adjacent to the boundaries of the Edwards Aquifer Authority. The substitute limits the water withdrawn from the aquifer that a municipally owned utility owned by the City of San Antonio may sell at wholesale to a retail public utility or river authority at 6,000 acre feet per year. The substitute changes the counties in which such water is to be used from a county adjacent to the boundaries of the authority to any county adjacent to Bexar County.