Title WA, Water Code

Sec. 16.0121. WATER AUDITS. (a) In this section, "retail public utility" has the meaning assigned by Section 13.002. (b) Except as provided by Subsection (b-1), a retail public utility providing potable water shall perform and file with the board an annual water audit computing t…

Sec. 16.0122. WATER AUDIT VALIDATION BY CERTAIN MUNICIPALLY OWNED UTILITIES. (a) In this section, "municipally owned utility" has the meaning assigned by Section 13.002. (b) This section applies only to a municipally owned utility that provides potable water through more than 150…

Sec. 16.0123. INTERIM STUDY OF INCORPORATION OF WASTEWATER PLANNING INTO STATE WATER PLANNING PROCESS. (a) Using existing resources, the executive administrator shall conduct a study to determine: (1) the feasibility and practicability of incorporating planning for the developmen…

Sec. 16.013. ENGINEERING, HYDROLOGIC, AND GEOLOGIC FUNCTIONS. The executive administrator shall advise and assist the board and the commission with regard to engineering, hydrologic, and geologic matters concerning the water resources of the state. The executive administrator sha…

Sec. 16.014. SILT LOAD OF STREAMS, ETC. The executive administrator shall determine the silt load of streams, make investigations and studies of the duty of water, and make surveys to determine the water needs of the distinct regional divisions of the watershed areas of the state…

Sec. 16.015. STUDIES OF UNDERGROUND WATER SUPPLY. The executive administrator may make studies and investigations of the physical characteristics of water-bearing formations and of the sources, occurrence, quantity, and quality of the underground water supply of the state and may…

Sec. 16.016. POLLUTION OF RED RIVER TRIBUTARIES. Within the limits of available money and facilities, the executive administrator shall study salt springs, gypsum beds, and other sources of natural pollution of the tributaries of the Red River and shall study means of eliminating…

Sec. 16.017. TOPOGRAPHIC AND GEOLOGIC MAPPING. (a) The executive administrator shall carry out the program for topographic and geologic mapping of the state. (b) The executive administrator shall operate as part of the Texas Geographic Information Office a strategic mapping progr…

Sec. 16.018. SOIL RESOURCE PLANNING. The executive administrator may contract with the State Soil Conservation Board for joint investigation and research in the field of soil resource planning. The State Soil Conservation Board may appoint a representative to advise and work with…

Sec. 16.019. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS. With the approval of the board, the executive administrator may negotiate and execute contracts with persons or with federal, state, or local agencies for joint or cooperative studies and investigations of the occurrence, quantity, and quality…

Sec. 16.020. MASTER PLANS OF DISTRICTS, ETC. The executive director shall review and analyze master plans and other reports of conservation districts, river authorities, and state agencies and shall make its recommendations to the commission in all cases where approval of the com…

Sec. 16.021. TEXAS GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION OFFICE. (a) The executive administrator shall establish the Texas Geographic Information Office to serve Texas agencies and citizens as a centralized clearinghouse and referral center for: (1) natural resource data; (2) census data; (3) d…

Sec. 16.023. STRATEGIC MAPPING ACCOUNT. (a) The strategic mapping account is an account in the general revenue fund. The account consists of: (1) money directly appropriated to the board; (2) money transferred by the board from other funds available to the board; (3) money from g…

Sec. 16.024. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR DIGITAL, GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION PROJECTS. (a) A political subdivision seeking a grant under Section 16.023 must file an application with the board. (b) An application must be filed in the manner and form required by board rules. (c) In review…

Sec. 16.025. REPORTING OF FEDERAL MONEY USED FOR FLOOD RESEARCH, PLANNING, AND MITIGATION PROJECTS. The board shall maintain and make available on the board's Internet website a publicly accessible database of the information submitted under Section 2061.002, Government Code. Add…

Sec. 16.026. STATEWIDE WATER PUBLIC AWARENESS PROGRAM. (a) The executive administrator shall develop and implement a statewide water public awareness program to educate residents of this state about water. The program shall take into account the differences in water needs of vari…

Sec. 16.027. STATEWIDE WATER PUBLIC AWARENESS ACCOUNT. (a) The statewide water public awareness account is an account in the general revenue fund. The account consists of: (1) money appropriated to the board for deposit to the credit of the account; (2) money transferred by the b…

Sec. 16.028. TEXMESONET HYDROMETEOROLOGY NETWORK; TEXMESONET ADVISORY COMMITTEE. (a) In this section, "network" means the TexMesonet Hydrometeorology Network. (b) The executive administrator shall establish the TexMesonet Hydrometeorology Network to provide a statewide resource f…

Sec. 16.051. STATE WATER PLAN: DROUGHT, CONSERVATION, DEVELOPMENT, AND MANAGEMENT; EFFECT OF PLAN. (a) Not later than January 5, 2002, and before the end of each successive five-year period after that date, the board shall prepare, develop, formulate, and adopt a comprehensive st…

Sec. 16.052. INTERREGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL. (a) The board, at an appropriate time in each five-year cycle for the adoption of a new state water plan, shall appoint an interregional planning council. The members of the council serve until a new state water plan is adopted. (b) Th…

Sec. 16.053. REGIONAL WATER PLANS. (a) The regional water planning group in each regional water planning area shall prepare a regional water plan, using an existing state water plan identified in Section 16.051 of this code and local water plans prepared under Section 16.054 of t…

Sec. 16.054. LOCAL WATER PLANNING. (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, groundwater districts are the state's preferred method of managing groundwater resources. It is the policy of the state that water resource management, water conservation, and drought planni…

Sec. 16.055. DROUGHT RESPONSE PLAN. (a) The chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management is the state drought manager. The state drought manager is responsible for managing and coordinating the drought response component of the state water plan. (b) The drought preparednes…

Sec. 16.0551. STATE DROUGHT PREPAREDNESS PLAN. (a) The drought preparedness council shall develop and implement a comprehensive state drought preparedness plan for mitigating the effects of drought in the state and shall periodically update the plan. The plan shall be separate fr…

Sec. 16.056. FEDERAL ASSISTANCE IN FINANCING REGIONAL WATER PLANS. The executive administrator may take all necessary action to qualify for federal assistance in financing the development and improvement of the regional water plans. Amended by Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2207, ch. 8…

Sec. 16.058. COLLECTION OF BAYS AND ESTUARIES DATA; CONDUCT OF STUDIES. (a) The Parks and Wildlife Department and the board shall have joint responsibility, in cooperation with other appropriate governmental agencies, to establish and maintain on a continuous basis a bay and estu…

Sec. 16.059. COLLECTION OF INSTREAM FLOW DATA; CONDUCT OF STUDIES. (a) The Parks and Wildlife Department, the commission, and the board, in cooperation with other appropriate governmental agencies, shall jointly establish and continuously maintain an instream flow data collection…

Sec. 16.060. DESALINATION STUDIES AND RESEARCH. (a) The board shall undertake or participate in research, feasibility and facility planning studies, investigations, and surveys as it considers necessary to further the development of cost-effective water supplies from seawater or …

Sec. 16.061. STATE FLOOD PLAN. (a) Not later than September 1, 2024, and before the end of each successive five-year period after that date, the board shall prepare and adopt a comprehensive state flood plan that incorporates the regional flood plans approved under Section 16.062…

Sec. 16.062. REGIONAL FLOOD PLANNING. (a) The board shall: (1) designate flood planning regions corresponding to each river basin; (2) provide technical and financial assistance to the flood planning groups; and (3) adopt guidance principles for the regional flood plans, includin…

Sec. 16.091. DESIGNATION OF BOARD. The board is designated as the state agency to cooperate with the Corps of Engineers of the United States Army and the Bureau of Reclamation of the United States Department of the Interior in the planning of water resource development projects i…

Sec. 16.092. LOCAL SPONSORS FOR PROJECTS. (a) When a project is proposed for planning or development by the board, the Corps of Engineers of the United States Army, or the Bureau of Reclamation of the United States Department of the Interior, any political subdivision may apply t…

Sec. 16.093. PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS. (a) The board may execute agreements with the United States Environmental Protection Agency or its successor agency and any other federal agency that administers programs providing federal grants, loans, or other assistance to local…

Sec. 16.131. AUTHORIZED PROJECTS FOR STATE PARTICIPATION ACCOUNT. (a) The board may use the state participation account of the development fund to encourage optimum regional and interregional development of projects, including the design, acquisition, lease, construction, reconst…

Sec. 16.1311. PRIORITY FOR WATER CONSERVATION. The board shall give priority to applications for funds for implementation of water supply projects in the state water plan by entities that: (1) have already demonstrated significant water conservation savings; or (2) will achieve s…

Sec. 16.132. JOINT VENTURES. The board may act singly or in a joint venture in partnership with any person or entity, including any agency or political subdivision of this state, or with another state or its political subdivisions, or with the United States, or with a foreign nat…

Sec. 16.133. PERMITS REQUIRED. Except as provided by Section 16.1331 of this code, the board shall obtain permits from the commission for the storage, transportation, and application to beneficial use of water in reservoirs and associated works constructed by the board. Amended b…

Sec. 16.1331. RESERVATION AND APPROPRIATION FOR BAYS AND ESTUARIES AND INSTREAM USES. (a) Five percent of the annual firm yield of water in any reservoir and associated works constructed with state financial participation under this chapter within 200 river miles from the coast, …

Sec. 16.134. STORING WATER. The board may use any reservoir acquired, leased, constructed, reconstructed, developed, or enlarged by it under this chapter to store unappropriated state water and other water acquired by the state. Amended by Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2207, ch. 870, …

Sec. 16.1341. PAYMENT FOR RELEASES AND PASS-THROUGHS FROM STATE RESERVOIRS. (a) If the commission orders, for the purpose of maintaining the ecological health of any bay and estuary system, a release or pass-through of appropriated water from an existing reservoir owned in part b…

Sec. 16.135. BOARD FINDINGS. Before the board may acquire a facility or interest in a facility, the board shall find affirmatively that: (1) it is reasonable to expect that the state will recover its investment in the facility; (2) the cost of the facility exceeds the current fin…

Sec. 16.1351. RECREATIONAL ACCESS. If the board is acquiring an interest in a storage facility, it must also find affirmatively that the applicant has a plan to provide adequate public recreational access areas to suitable recreational resources. Added by Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch…

Sec. 16.136. FACILITIES WANTED BY POLITICAL SUBDIVISION. The board may acquire all or part of any authorized facility to the extent that the board finds that the political subdivision: (1) is willing and reasonably able to finance that portion of the cost of the facility that the…

Sec. 16.137. CONTRACTS: GENERAL AUTHORITY. (a) The board may execute contracts to the full extent that contracts are constitutionally authorized and not limited for the design, management, acquisition, lease, construction, reconstruction, development, enlargement, operation, or m…

Sec. 16.138. SPECIFIC CONTRACTS AUTHORIZED. Contracts authorized by Section 16.137 of this code shall include but are not limited to the following: (1) contracts secured by the general credit of the state which shall constitute general obligations of the state in the same manner …

Sec. 16.139. CONTRACTS: FACILITIES ACQUIRED FOR A TERM OF YEARS. If facilities are acquired for a term of years, the board may include in the contract provisions for renewal that will protect the state's investment. Amended by Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2207, ch. 870, Sec. 1, eff. …