S.B. No. 1441
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;
(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withdrawn water the installation receives from the utility; and
(3) the utility complies with rules adopted by the
authority that allow the authority to monitor groundwater
withdrawals from the aquifer by the utility and determine amounts
of groundwater exempted from permitting in accordance with this
subsection, including rules requiring the reporting of amounts
supplied by the utility to the military installation and amounts by
which the military installation reduces the installation's
groundwater withdrawals from the aquifer.
(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.
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1441 passed the Senate on
April 19, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0; and that
the Senate concurred in House amendment on May 27, 2021, by the
following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1441 passed the House, with
amendment, on May 18, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 136,
Nays 1, two present not voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
Approved:
______________________________
Date
______________________________
Governor