&nbsp; <font style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial"><strong>Legislative Session</strong>: 84(R)</font><br/><br/>

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  <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b>House Bill 2031</b></p>
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  <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b>House Author:</b>  Lucio III
  et al.</p>
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  <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b>Effective:</b>  6-17-15</p>
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  <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><b>Senate Sponsor:</b> 
  Hinojosa et al.</p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>            <a name=start></a>House Bill 2031
amends the Water Code and Health and Safety Code to authorize a person to
divert and use state water that consists of marine seawater without obtaining a
permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), but requires
a person to obtain a permit to divert and use such water if the point of diversion
is located near the state's coast or if the seawater contains a certain concentration
of total dissolved solids.  The bill authorizes the person to use the diverted
marine seawater for any beneficial purpose if it is treated before use.</span><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>  The bill requires a
person to obtain a permit to discharge treated marine seawater into a natural
stream or an impoundment in Texas or to discharge waste resulting from the
desalination of treated marine seawater into the Gulf of Mexico.  The bill
requires TCEQ, based on input from the Parks and Wildlife Department and the
General Land Office, to designate marine seawater diversion zones and
desalination waste discharge zones in the Gulf of Mexico.  The bill requires
TCEQ to adopt rules to allow water treated by certain marine seawater
desalination facilities to be used as public drinking water and rules to ensure
that water treated by such facilities meets public drinking water requirements.</span></p>

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