Sec. 11.042. DELIVERING WATER DOWN BANKS AND BEDS. (a) Under rules prescribed by the commission, a person, association of persons, corporation, water control and improvement district, water improvement district, or irrigation district supplying stored or conserved water under contract as provided in this chapter may use the bank and bed of any flowing natural stream in the state to convey the water from the place of storage to the place of use or to the diversion point of the appropriator.

(a-1) With prior authorization granted under rules prescribed by the commission, a person, association of persons, corporation, water control and improvement district, water improvement district, or irrigation district supplying water imported from a source located wholly outside the boundaries of this state, except water imported from a source located in the United Mexican States, may use the bed and banks of any flowing natural stream in the state to convey water for use in this state. The authorization must:

(1) allow for the diversion of only the amount of water put into a watercourse or stream, less carriage losses; and

(2) include special conditions adequate to prevent a significant impact to the quality of water in this state.

(b) A person who wishes to discharge and then subsequently divert and reuse the person's existing return flows derived from privately owned groundwater must obtain prior authorization from the commission for the diversion and the reuse of these return flows. The authorization may allow for the diversion and reuse by the discharger of existing return flows, less carriage losses, and shall be subject to special conditions if necessary to protect an existing water right that was granted based on the use or availability of these return flows. Special conditions may also be provided to help maintain instream uses and freshwater inflows to bays and estuaries. A person wishing to divert and reuse future increases of return flows derived from privately owned groundwater must obtain authorization to reuse increases in return flows before the increase.

(c) Except as otherwise provided in Subsection (a) of this section, a person who wishes to convey and subsequently divert water in a watercourse or stream must obtain the prior approval of the commission through a bed and banks authorization. The authorization shall allow to be diverted only the amount of water put into a watercourse or stream, less carriage losses and subject to any special conditions that may address the impact of the discharge, conveyance, and diversion on existing permits, certified filings, or certificates of adjudication, instream uses, and freshwater inflows to bays and estuaries. Water discharged into a watercourse or stream under this chapter shall not cause a degradation of water quality to the extent that the stream segment's classification would be lowered. Authorizations under this section and water quality authorizations may be approved in a consolidated permit proceeding.

(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect an existing project for which water rights and reuse authorizations have been granted by the commission before September 1, 1997.

Amended by Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2207, ch. 870, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977; Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 795, Sec. 1.006, eff. Sept. 1, 1985; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1010, Sec. 2.06, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.

Amended by:

Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1016 (H.B. 4231), Sec. 2, eff. June 19, 2009.