Picture: Rep. Isaac and Sen. Campbell original announcement of major local water legislation. Want to read the original announcement…..you can here.
Rep. Isaac Passes Critical Water Legislation For Hays County
Today, the Texas House passed critical legislation authored by State Representative Jason Isaac (R-Dripping Springs) that expands the boundaries of the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District to cover a portion of the Trinity Aquifer in Hays County that is not currently within a groundwater district.
Rep. Isaac stated, “This is great news for residents of Blanco and Hays County and ensures necessary measures will be taken to protect an environmentally sensitive area of the Trinity Aquifer. An overwhelming number of the constituents I serve are excited about the progress of legislation to protect our groundwater. HB 3405 is now headed to the Senate.”
In 2014, Rep. Isaac became aware of possible white zones in Hays County. A white zone is a portion of an aquifer that is currently not within the boundaries of a groundwater district. In Hays County, there is a white zone just outside a priority groundwater management area that follows the same boundaries of the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA). However, the EAA does not protect the Trinity Aquifer that lies beneath the Edwards.
“Final passage of HB 3405 will ensure that the entirety of Hays County has protections in place over the Edwards and Trinity aquifers. This protection will be possible without additional property taxes, and residential and agriculture wells will be exempts from fees. Furthermore, this protection will ensure that your private property will not be taken out from under you.”
Now that HB 3405 has passed the House, it’s now headed to the Senate where co-sponsor State Senator Donna Campbell will bring the legislation up for a debate before it is fully passed. Upon passage, HB 3405 will go into effect on September 1, 2015, or immediately upon receiving a vote of two-thirds from each house.
Rep. Isaac concluded, “We have a few more steps to go before full passage, but we are definitely moving in the right direction.”