Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1629 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R9865 KRM-F
2	2	By: Perry S.B. No. 1629
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the administration by the Texas Water Development Board
10	10	of the Texas Water Bank and certain funds and accounts.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 15.153(b), Water Code, is amended to
13	13	read as follows:
14	14	(b) The fund may be used to:
15	15	(1) provide financial assistance to political
16	16	subdivisions to develop water supply projects that create new water
17	17	sources for the state, including:
18	18	(A) desalination projects, including marine and
19	19	brackish water desalination;
20	20	(B) produced water treatment projects, other
21	21	than projects that are only for purposes of oil and gas exploration;
22	22	(C) aquifer storage and recovery projects; [and]
23	23	(D) reservoir projects for which:
24	24	(i) a permit for the discharge of dredged or
25	25	fill material has been issued by the United States secretary of the
26	26	army under Section 404, Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33
27	27	U.S.C. Section 1344); and
28	28	(ii) a permit for the storage, taking, or
29	29	diversion of state water has been issued by the commission under
30	30	Section 11.121; and
31	31	(E) the development of infrastructure to
32	32	transport or integrate into a water supply system water that is made
33	33	available by a project described by this subdivision;
34	34	(2) make transfers from the fund:
35	35	(A) to the state water implementation fund for
36	36	Texas established under Subchapter G or the Texas Water Development
37	37	Fund II established under Subchapter L, Chapter 17; and
38	38	(B) for a purpose described by Subdivision (1);
39	39	[and]
40	40	(3) make transfers from the fund to the water bank
41	41	account established under Section 15.707; and
42	42	(4) make transfers from the fund:
43	43	(A) to the Texas Water Development Fund II state
44	44	participation account established under Section 17.957; and
45	45	(B) for a purpose described by Subdivision (1).
46	46	SECTION 2. Section 15.703(a), Water Code, is amended to
47	47	read as follows:
48	48	(a) The board may take all actions necessary to operate the
49	49	water bank and to facilitate the transfer of water rights from the
50	50	water bank for future beneficial use, including but not limited to:
51	51	(1) negotiating a sale price and terms acceptable to
52	52	the depositor and purchaser;
53	53	(2) maintaining a registry of water bank deposits and
54	54	those water users in need of additional supplies;
55	55	(3) informing water users in need of additional supply
56	56	of water rights available in the bank;
57	57	(4) encouraging water right holders to implement water
58	58	conservation practices and deposit the right to use the conserved
59	59	water into the bank;
60	60	(5) establishing requirements for deposit of a water
61	61	right into the water bank, including minimum terms for deposit;
62	62	(6) purchasing, holding, and transferring water or
63	63	water rights in its own name, including purchasing, holding, and
64	64	transferring water or water rights originating outside this state
65	65	for the purpose of providing water for the use or benefit of this
66	66	state;
67	67	(7) establishing regional water banks;
68	68	(8) acting as a clearinghouse for water marketing
69	69	information including water availability, pricing of water
70	70	transactions, environmental considerations, and potential buyers
71	71	and sellers of water rights;
72	72	(9) preparing and publishing a manual on structuring
73	73	water transactions;
74	74	(10) accepting and holding donations of water rights
75	75	to meet instream, water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, or bay
76	76	and estuary inflow needs;
77	77	(11) entering into contracts with persons to pay for
78	78	feasibility studies or the preparation of plans and specifications
79	79	relating to water conservation efforts or to estimate the amount of
80	80	water that would be saved through conservation efforts; and
81	81	(12) other actions to facilitate water transactions.
82	82	SECTION 3. Section 16.131(a), Water Code, is amended to
83	83	read as follows:
84	84	(a) The board may use the state participation account of the
85	85	development fund to encourage optimum regional and interregional
86	86	development of projects, including the design, acquisition, lease,
87	87	construction, reconstruction, development, or enlargement in whole
88	88	or part of:
89	89	(1) reservoirs and storm water retention basins for
90	90	water supply, flood protection, and groundwater recharge;
91	91	(2) facilities for the transmission and treatment of
92	92	water;
93	93	(3) treatment works as defined by Section 17.001;
94	94	[and]
95	95	(4) interregional water supply projects selected
96	96	under Section 16.145; and
97	97	(5) projects described by Section 15.153(b)(1).
98	98	SECTION 4. The following provisions of the Water Code are
99	99	repealed:
100	100	(1) Section 16.131(c); and
101	101	(2) Section 16.146(h).
102	102	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.