Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1627 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R3012 JXC-D
2	2	By: Lucio S.B. No. 1627
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to state and local planning for and responses to drought.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Section 10.010, Water Code, is amended to read as
10	10	follows:
11	11	Sec. 10.010. POWERS AND DUTIES OF COUNCIL. (a) The council
12	12	shall:
13	13	(1) monitor trends in water conservation
14	14	implementation;
15	15	(2) monitor new water conservation technologies for
16	16	possible inclusion by the board as best management practices in the
17	17	best management practices guide described by Section 16.0552
18	18	[developed by the water conservation implementation task force
19	19	under Chapter 109, Acts of the 78th Legislature, Regular Session,
20	20	2003];
21	21	(3) monitor the effectiveness of the statewide water
22	22	conservation public awareness program developed under Section
23	23	16.401 and associated local involvement in implementation of the
24	24	program;
25	25	(4) develop and implement a state water management
26	26	resource library;
27	27	(5) develop and implement a public recognition program
28	28	for water conservation;
29	29	(6) monitor the implementation of water conservation
30	30	strategies by water users included in regional water plans; and
31	31	(7) monitor target and goal guidelines for water
32	32	conservation to be considered by the board and commission.
33	33	(b) To assist with drought preparedness and response, the
34	34	council shall:
35	35	(1) monitor and develop strategies for responding to
36	36	drought;
37	37	(2) monitor new drought response technologies for
38	38	possible inclusion by the board as best management practices in the
39	39	best management practices guide described by Section 16.0552; and
40	40	(3) recommend methodologies for conducting drought
41	41	contingency plan evaluations described by Section 11.1272(g).
42	42	SECTION 2. Section 11.1272, Water Code, is amended by
43	43	adding Subsections (f), (g), (h), and (i) to read as follows:
44	44	(f) At least once every five years, a wholesale or retail
45	45	public water supplier or irrigation district shall review and, as
46	46	necessary, update the supplier or district's drought contingency
47	47	plan and submit to the commission the reviewed or updated plan.
48	48	(g) A wholesale water supplier, a retail public water
49	49	supplier that provides potable water service to 3,300 or more
50	50	connections, or an irrigation district shall include in each
51	51	reviewed or updated drought contingency plan submitted to the
52	52	commission under Subsection (f) an evaluation of the effectiveness
53	53	of strategies in the plan that were implemented by the supplier or
54	54	district during any period of significant drought that occurred in
55	55	the preceding five years. The commission by rule shall define
56	56	"significant drought" for purposes of this subsection.
57	57	(h) A wholesale or retail public water supplier shall notify
58	58	the commission not later than the fifth business day after the date
59	59	the supplier implements, changes the manner of implementing, or
60	60	ceases to implement a mandatory provision of the supplier's drought
61	61	contingency plan. The commission by rule shall establish criteria
62	62	for determining the actions that must be reported under this
63	63	subsection.
64	64	(i) The commission shall maintain on its Internet website a
65	65	list of wholesale and retail public water suppliers that are
66	66	currently implementing a drought contingency plan that displays for
67	67	each supplier:
68	68	(1) the degree of drought severity in the county or
69	69	counties in which the service area of the supplier is located;
70	70	(2) whether the service area of the supplier is in a
71	71	county subject to a declaration under Section 418.014 or 418.108,
72	72	Government Code, of a state of disaster due to drought conditions;
73	73	and
74	74	(3) the drought response stage the supplier is
75	75	implementing.
76	76	SECTION 3. Subchapter C, Chapter 16, Water Code, is amended
77	77	by adding Section 16.0552 to read as follows:
78	78	Sec. 16.0552. BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES GUIDE. (a) In this
79	79	section, "best management practices" has the meaning assigned by
80	80	Section 11.002.
81	81	(b) The board, in coordination with the commission and the
82	82	Water Conservation Advisory Council, shall:
83	83	(1) regularly review and update the water conservation
84	84	best management practices guide developed by the water conservation
85	85	implementation task force under Chapter 109 (S.B. 1094), Acts of
86	86	the 78th Legislature, Regular Session, 2003; and
87	87	(2) include in the guide best management practices for
88	88	drought response.
89	89	(c) The board shall make the guide available on its Internet
90	90	website.
91	91	SECTION 4. As soon as practicable after the effective date
92	92	of this Act, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality shall
93	93	adopt rules as necessary to implement Section 11.1272, Water Code,
94	94	as amended by this Act.
95	95	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.