The commission and executive director must manage watermaster compensation, budgets, hearings, assessments, collections, and related notices; delinquent payers cannot divert, take, store, or receive water, and some holders are exempt from cost assessments.
Sec. 11.329. COMPENSATION AND EXPENSES OF WATERMASTER. (a) The commission shall pay the compensation and necessary expenses of a watermaster, assistant watermasters, and other necessary employees, but the holders of water rights that have been determined or adjudicated and are to be administered by the watermaster shall reimburse the commission for the compensation and expenses. Necessary expenses shall be limited to costs associated with streamflow measurement and monitoring, water accounting, assessment billing and collection associated with a watermaster's operation, and other duties a watermaster may be required to perform under this subchapter. (b) After the adjudication decree becomes final, and each fiscal year thereafter, the executive director shall provide notice to each holder of water rights under the decree, at least 30 days prior to the commission's holding a public hearing as provided in Subsection (c), of the proposed budget for their watermaster operations showing the amount of compensation and expenses that will be required annually for the administration of the water rights so determined. This budget shall be furnished to the watermaster advisory committee for comment at least 30 days prior to notification to each holder of water rights. (c) The commission shall hold a public hearing on the proposed fiscal year budget for each watermaster operation. The commission shall determine the apportionment of the costs of administration of adjudicated water rights among the holders of the rights. After a public hearing, the commission shall issue an order assessing the annual cost against the holders of water rights to whom the water will be distributed under the final decree. The commission shall equitably apportion the costs. The executive director may provide for payments in installments and shall specify the dates by which payments shall be made to the commission. At the request of the watermaster advisory committee the commission may modify a fiscal year budget for any water division. Text of subsec. (d) as amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 333, Sec. 3 (d) The executive director shall deposit all collections under this section to the credit of the watermaster administration account. Text of subsec. (d) as amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 696, Sec. 4 (d) The executive director shall collect the assessments and shall account for assessments separately for each water division and shall deposit assessments collected to a special fund known as the watermaster fund established and governed by Section 11.3291. (e) No water shall be diverted, taken, or stored by, or delivered to, any person while he is delinquent in the payment of his assessed costs. (f) An order of the commission assessing costs remains in effect until the commission issues a further order. The commission may modify, revoke, or supersede an order assessing costs with a subsequent order. The commission may issue supplementary orders from time to time to apply to new diversions. (g) The commission may not assess costs under this section against a holder of a non-priority hydroelectric right that owns or operates privately owned facilities that collectively have a capacity of less than two megawatts or against a holder of a water right placed in the Texas Water Trust for a term of at least 20 years. Amended by Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2207, ch. 870, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977; Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 795, Sec. 1.028, eff. Sept. 1, 1985; Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 118, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 31, 1987; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 333, Sec. 3, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 696, Sec. 4, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1423, Sec. 20.01, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 234, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2001. Amended by: Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1351 (H.B. 3), Sec. 1.18, eff. September 1, 2007. Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1430 (S.B. 3), Sec. 1.18, eff. September 1, 2007.