HBA-NMO S.B. 657 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 657
By: Brown
Natural Resources
4/16/1999
Engrossed



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Current law requires each regional water planning group to submit a
regional water plan that provides specific water management strategies to
be used during a drought of record when flows are at 50 and 75 percent of
normal, respectively.  While the intent of this water flow percentage
requirement is to ensure that water providers have plans for times when
water supplies are at levels appropriate for drought response, the
designated percentages of normal flow may not always be relevant to certain
water supplies.  In addition, the requirement may be time consuming and
costly. H.B. 1590 deletes  the flow percentage stipulations from the water
management strategies to be used during a drought of record.  

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 16.012(h), Water Code, by deleting language
concerning flows at certain percentages of normal from the projected amount
of water that would be available during a drought of record, as required to
be provided by the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission, within
90 days of completing a water availability model for a river basin, to
holders of existing permits, certified filings, and certificates of
adjudication in a river basin.  

SECTION 2.  Amends Section 16.053(e), Water Code, to provide that the
regional water plan, that each regional water planning group is required to
submit to the Texas Water Development Board, must identify each source of
water supply in the regional planning area, factors specific to each source
of water supply to be considered in determining whether to initiate a
drought response, and actions to be taken as a part of the response.
Deletes language concerning flows at certain percentages of normal as part
of the plan's water management strategy to be used during a drought of
record.  Makes conforming and nonsubstantive changes. 

SECTION 3.Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage.