Groundwater has long provided a major part of the Texas water supply. Undeveloped groundwater can help meet growing demand for water in Texas. Texas has two distinct legal systems governing water: groundwater and surface water. Surface water is owned by the state, which grants water rights to use specific volumes of water for beneficial uses. The Texas Water Code recognizes surface water rights issued in perpetuity as private rights that can be bought and sold.
2019-20 LEGISLATOR’S GUIDE TO THE ISSUES
A comprehensive guide to the most important issues facing Texas during the 86th Session of the Legislature. Among the issues covered in this Guide are education, taxes and spending, health care, effective justice, private property rights, insurance, telecommunications, transportation, tort reform, energy, and natural resources.