85R11859 GRM-D
By: Elkins H.B. No. 4221
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to requiring owners of sanitary sewer systems to report
the current condition of a system's infrastructure to the Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter E, Chapter 13, Water Code, is amended
by adding Section 13.150 to read as follows:
Sec. 13.150. SEWER UTILITY SERVICE SYSTEM REPORT. (a) A
retail public utility that provides sewer utility service shall
report to the commission the current condition of the utility's
sewer system.
(b) The retail public utility must report to the commission
not later than the 10th anniversary of the date the utility last
filed a report under this section.
(c) The report must rate the condition of all sewer
collection infrastructure components of the system in accordance
with commission rules as:
(1) functioning without signs of deterioration or
leaks and in a good condition that requires no repairs;
(2) needing minor repairs to restore minor damage or
to fix leaks or cracks;
(3) needing to be rehabilitated to restore lost
structural integrity soon or to fix active leaks and cracks
allowing inflow and outflow; or
(4) requiring a full replacement because the system
component is near to or in a condition of failure.
(d) The condition assignment described by Subsection (c)
must be signed by:
(1) an engineer; and
(2) the governing body of the retail public utility.
(e) The commission shall compile information from the
report required by this section and post the information on the
commission's Internet website.
SECTION 2. A retail public utility, as defined by Section
13.002, Water Code, that provides sewer utility service must submit
the initial report required by Section 13.150, Water Code, as added
by this Act, on or before December 1, 2018.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2017.