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Senate debates Austin aquifer storage plan; amendment requiring monitoring, limits fails
Summary
The Texas Senate debated House Bill 15-23, a temporary restriction on TCEQ authorization of certain injection wells for aquifer storage recovery (ASR) in the Lost Pines area. A floor amendment that would have required monitoring wells, limits on withdrawals, and local data sharing failed; the bill then passed to third reading.
The Texas Senate considered House Bill 15-23 on the use of Class B injection wells for an aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) project proposed by the City of Austin and affecting the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District (GCD). Senator Shortner, the Senate author, said the committee substitute would “prevent an ASR permit from being issued until December 30 first of 2027” to allow further review and stakeholder engagement.
Why it matters: The bill affects intercounty storage of treated/processed water in an aquifer beneath Bastrop and Lee counties, a project that opponents say is the first of its kind in Texas and raises questions about groundwater quality, monitoring, and local authority.
Senator Shortner described constituent concerns and said the bill preserves the voice of local stakeholders while allowing Austin to continue preliminary work. Senator Eckhart offered a floor amendment restoring the House-engrossed language negotiated by the House author. Eckhart said the amendment would “require that the project not withdraw from the aquifer storage more water than Austin Water injects into the aquifer,” require “monitoring wells to ensure that the project is not harming neighboring wells,” and mandate that Austin Water “share all water quality and quantity testing it conducts with the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District.” The amendment also would have required TCEQ to hold a public hearing in Bastrop before issuing a permit.
Opponents of the amendment, including Senator Shortner, argued the temporary prohibition in the committee substitute would focus negotiations and engagement. Shortner said the pause “will make it much more focused, much more, highlighted by having, this this stop,” and described the measure as a “hard stop” to allow more data and assurances to be developed.
On a roll call for floor amendment number 1 (Eckhart), the amendment failed with 10 ayes and 21 nays. The Senate later voted to pass the committee substitute to third reading; the clerk recorded 19 ayes and 9 nays and the bill was advanced to third reading for further consideration.
Discussion vs. decision: The Senate explicitly distinguished between continued planning (exploratory drilling, monitoring, pilot testing) and formal permits. The bill, as substituted, prohibits issuance of a TCEQ permit until the statutory date while leaving agency review intact.
Next steps: The bill was advanced to third reading after the amendment failed; further action on final passage and any additional amendments will occur on the Senate floor.
