SAWDF Legislative Update – April 27, 2025
Now, our focus turns to the Senate. During the last two legislative sessions, SAWDF has received a lot of support from members of the Senate Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs Committee; Chairman Charles Perry and Senator Lois Kolkhorst [Lee, Burleson, & Fayette counties]. SAWDF executive director Andy Wier spoke with staff in Senator Charles Schwertner’s office [Bastrop, Milam, Robertson, Brazos, Freestone, Leon, and Madison counties]. The staff member stated Senator Schwertner will stand with his constituents. So, we need to let Senator Schwertner know what legislation we support and what we oppose. SAWDF supports the priority bills below. Contact your Senator and Chairman Perry and let them know where you stand.
Priority Bills
89(R) HB 1633 - Relating to the criteria considered by groundwater conservation districts before granting or denying a permit or permit amendment. If approved by the Senate and signed by the Governor, “unreasonable impacts” on our domestic and livestock wells (“exempt wells”) will be one of the required criteria to consider when groundwater districts grant or deny permits for large-scale projects (“non-exempt wells”). Senator Kolkhorst will sponsor this bill in the Senate. Let her office know of your support. [contact info below]
89(R) HB 29 - Relating to water losses reported by certain municipally owned utilities to the Texas Water Development Board; authorizing administrative penalties. The Speaker of the House selected this legislation by SAWDF to be one of the 30 priority bills for the House. The bill requires cities with more than 150,000 water connections to address water loss in their public utilities. This is leaky water mains of the utility— not a customer’s running toilet. This bill can reduce the need for large-scale groundwater projects such as Vista Ridge. Chairman Perry will shepherd this bill in the Senate. Let Chairman Perry and Senator Kolkhorst know you support this legislation. [contact info below]
Additional Bills supported by SAWDF
89(R) HB 1689 - Relating to the use of certain groundwater export fees collected by a groundwater conservation district. This lays the foundation for the creation of a joint mitigation fund by groundwater conservation districts [GCDs]. If passed by the Senate and signed by the Governor, GCDs would be allowed to collectively fund mitigation for drawdown in domestic and livestock wells affected by large-scale pumping, even if the pumping is across county lines and involves more than one GCD. Encourage Senators Kolkhorst and/or Schwertner to sponsor this legislation in the Senate. [contact info below]
89(R) HB 1690 - Relating to an application for a permit for the transfer of groundwater out of a groundwater conservation district. The most traumatic part of Vista Ridge coming online was no advance warning for hundreds of well owners in Lee County. This bill requires notice of an export permit application, allowing comment or protest, to all neighboring counties and GCDs so they can be better prepared for impacts. Encourage Senators Kolkhorst and/or Schwertner to sponsor this legislation in the Senate. [contact info below]
Email and Capitol Office Phone:
Charles.Perry@senate.texas.gov
Andrew.Parks_SC@senate.texas.gov 512-463-0128
Lois.Kolkhorst@senate.texas.gov
Michael.Vallee@senate.texas.gov 512-463-0118
Charles.Schwertner@senate.texas.gov
kaylie.perkins@senate.texas.gov 512-463-0105
Bills in the House Natural Resources Committee [HNRC] this week
89(R) HB 2078 – Gerdes Relating to the joint planning of desired future conditions in groundwater management areas. This bill requires GCDs to state in “plain language”, every five-years, the Rules & management strategies they will use to achieve their 50-year Desired Future Conditions [DFCs], set, at a minimum, targets for every decade of the DFCs, and give a summary of what the GCDs have accomplished in the previous five-years. SAWDF supports this legislation because it requires GCDs to use plain language and take concrete steps toward protecting the long-term health of our Texas aquifers.
89(R) HB 2080 – Gerdes Relating to the review of the duties of a groundwater conservation district by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. If a GCD is failing to perform its statutory duties, a petition to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality [TCEQ] can be made to bring the GCD into compliance. TCEQ recruits three other GCDs to serve on a panel to review the petition. This bill clarifies the duties and fiscal responsibilities of the TCEQ and panelist GCDs. SAWDF supports this legislation.
89(R) HB 3350 – Gerdes Relating to vacancies on the board of directors of the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District [LPGCD]. Currently, if a vacancy occurs on the LPGCD board, the board recruits, interviews, and selects a director to serve the remainder of an unexpired term. This bill amends that practice and requires the County Judge to appoint a director to serve the remainder of the unexpired term. SAWDF has not taken a position on this bill. The current process has resulted in several highly qualified directors recruited by the standing LPGCD board. All the candidates were later appointed by their county judge to serve a full term. This appears to be a case of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”
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