86R20507 BRG-F

By: Larson, Lopez H.B. No. 1904

Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1904:

By: Dominguez C.S.H.B. No. 1904

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to withdrawals of water from the Edwards Aquifer to supply a military installation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. The heading to Section 1.33, Chapter 626, Acts of the 73rd Legislature, Regular Session, 1993, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 1.33. WELL METERING AND PERMITTING EXEMPTIONS [EXEMPTION].

SECTION 2. Section 1.33, Chapter 626, Acts of the 73rd Legislature, Regular Session, 1993, is amended by adding Subsections (e), (f), and (g) to read as follows:

(e) In addition to permitted withdrawals from the aquifer, a municipally owned utility owned by the City of San Antonio, without a permit, may withdraw groundwater from the aquifer if:

(1) the utility uses the groundwater to supply a military installation with water for human consumption, irrigation, operations, mission support, or infrastructure maintenance; and

(2) the utility and the military installation enter into a contract requiring the installation to reduce its groundwater withdrawals from the aquifer by the same amount of withdrawn water the installation receives from the utility.

(f) Subsection (e) of this section does not alter the obligations of a military installation under a biological opinion issued by a federal agency.

(g) The amount of water provided by a municipally owned utility to a military installation under Subsection (e) of this section may not exceed the maximum amount of water that the military installation is authorized to withdraw from the aquifer under a biological opinion issued by a federal agency.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.