By: Larson, Villalba (Senate Sponsor - Uresti) H.B. No. 2133
(In the Senate - Received from the House May 10, 2013;
May 10, 2013, read first time and referred to Committee on Natural
Resources; May 22, 2013, reported adversely, with favorable
Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0;
May 22, 2013, sent to printer.)
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 2133 By: Uresti
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the public policy for the use of innovative and
alternative water treatment technologies for water development
purposes and to the establishment of the Texas Center for
Innovative Desalination Technology.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 1.003, Water Code, is amended to read as
follows:
Sec. 1.003. PUBLIC POLICY. It is the public policy of the
state to provide for the conservation and development of the
state's natural resources, including:
(1) the control, storage, preservation, and
distribution of the state's storm and floodwaters and the waters of
its rivers and streams for irrigation, power, and other useful
purposes;
(2) the reclamation and irrigation of the state's
arid, semiarid, and other land needing irrigation;
(3) the reclamation and drainage of the state's
overflowed land and other land needing drainage;
(4) the conservation and development of its forest,
water, and hydroelectric power;
(5) the navigation of the state's inland and coastal
waters;
(6) the maintenance of a proper ecological environment
of the bays and estuaries of Texas and the health of related living
marine resources;
(7) the voluntary stewardship of public and private
lands to benefit waters of the state; [and]
(8) the promotion of rainwater harvesting for potable
and nonpotable purposes at public and private facilities in this
state, including residential, commercial, and industrial
buildings;
(9) the facilitation of the efficient and effective
use of innovative and alternative water treatment technologies
whenever possible to meet the natural resource needs of this state;
and
(10) the promotion of direct reuse of reclaimed water
for nonpotable purposes whenever possible to enhance and preserve
the state's freshwater supply.
SECTION 2. Chapter 111, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subchapter J to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER J. TEXAS CENTER FOR INNOVATIVE
DESALINATION TECHNOLOGY
Sec. 111.131. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
(1) "Boards" means the board of regents of the
University of Houston System and the board of regents of The
University of Texas System.
(2) "Center" means the Texas Center for Innovative
Desalination Technology established under this subchapter.
Sec. 111.132. ESTABLISHMENT. (a) The Texas Center for
Innovative Desalination Technology is established as a partnership
between the University of Houston, The University of Texas at
Brownsville, and The University of Texas at El Paso.
(b) The organization, control, and management of the center
are vested in the boards, and the respective institutions shall
execute a memorandum of understanding for that purpose.
(c) The center shall be hosted by the University of
Houston's Cullen College of Engineering, The University of Texas at
Brownsville's College of Science, Mathematics, and Technology, and
The University of Texas at El Paso's Center for Inland Desalination
Systems. Participation in the center's activities shall be open to
any faculty or staff member of each host university who is an active
researcher in the field of water desalination, engineering,
hydrology, biology, water supply development, or energy
efficiency, or in another relevant field as determined by the
boards.
Sec. 111.133. PURPOSE. The center is created to:
(1) promote interdisciplinary research, education,
and training for the development of state-of-the-art products,
materials, systems, and technologies designed for the desalination
of seawater from the Gulf of Mexico and brackish water within
surface and groundwater resources throughout the state; and
(2) develop cost-effective, energy-efficient, and
environmentally sound water desalination, brine disposal, and
water conveyance technologies that can enhance the potential for
desalinated water to contribute toward the state's long-term water
portfolio.
Sec. 111.134. POWERS AND DUTIES. The center shall:
(1) collaborate with appropriate international,
federal, state, and local agencies and private business or
nonprofit entities as necessary to develop innovative desalination
technologies;
(2) research and develop innovative seawater and
brackish water desalination technologies, including pretreatment
technologies and improvements, that are energy efficient and cost
effective, minimize environmental impacts, and offer long-term
water supply solutions for the state;
(3) research and develop brine disposal and reuse
methods and technologies;
(4) research and develop water conveyance systems and
technologies that may be used to transport desalinated water to
target use populations;
(5) develop test facilities for evaluating the
performance of new products, materials, or techniques;
(6) develop specifications and standards for products
used for desalinating water, conveying water, and disposing of
brine;
(7) provide public information, education, and
outreach regarding desalination technologies and appropriate uses
and conservation methods for desalinated water; and
(8) provide data, recommendations, and any other
information necessary relating to desalination for local,
regional, or statewide water planning programs and processes.
Sec. 111.135. COLLABORATION WITH OTHER ENTITIES. The
University of Houston, The University of Texas at Brownsville, and
The University of Texas at El Paso shall encourage public and
private entities to participate in or support the operation of the
center and may enter into an agreement with any public or private
entity for that purpose. An agreement may allow the center to
provide information, services, or other assistance to an entity in
exchange for the entity's participation or support.
Sec. 111.136. GIFTS AND GRANTS. The boards may solicit,
accept, and administer gifts and grants from any public or private
source for the purposes of the center.
Sec. 111.137. PERSONNEL. The boards may employ personnel
for the center as necessary.
Sec. 111.138. EXPIRATION. This subchapter expires
September 1, 2023.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013.
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