By: Campbell, et al. S.B. No. 1441
(In the Senate - Filed March 10, 2021; March 18, 2021, read
first time and referred to Committee on Veteran Affairs & Border
Security; April 1, 2021, reported favorably by the following vote:
Yeas 7, Nays 0; April 1, 2021, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
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withdrawn water the installation receives from the utility.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, 2021.
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