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Senate clears House Bill 27 to require TWDB study of Carrizo‑Wilcox aquifer and proposed export project
Summary
House Bill 27 requires the Texas Water Development Board to study aquifer connectivity and sustainable pumping levels after concerns from local officials about a proposed large-volume groundwater export project. The Senate removed a proposed two‑year moratorium on new export permits before adopting the bill and an amendment.
The Senate passed House Bill 27 on a final roll call after floor debate that centered on the potential effects of proposed large-volume groundwater pumping near the Trinity River and the need for more scientific study.
Senator Nichols, the bill’s author, said HB 27 responds to a proposed groundwater export project in the Nacogdoches/Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District and neighboring counties. He described concern that heavy pumping from the Carrizo‑Wilcox aquifer could draw down the Trinity River, reduce inflows to Lake Livingston — a water supply for the Houston region — and affect industrial and municipal users. Nichols said “the science we have today suggests these impacts could be substantial, but the science is just not sufficient to guide such important decisions.”
The measure directs the…
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