HB 290 restricts the use of specific agricultural products containing PFAS chemicals in Johnson County, Texas, directly affecting farmers, manufacturers, and sellers of fertilizers or soil amendments made from sewage sludge. It bans materials with PFAS concentrations exceeding set limits (e.g., 900 parts per trillion for perfluorooctanoic acid) when used as fertilizers or soil amendments. Violations create a criminal offense for manufacturing, selling, distributing, or applying products above these thresholds. The law applies only to Johnson County due to its population size (175,000-195,000 residents per census).
HB 125 amends Texas law to define which counties must follow existing stormwater management regulations under Chapter 573 of the Local Government Code. It applies specifically to: counties with 2.8 million+ residents; districts coterminous with such counties that provide stormwater services; counties over 1.3 million with aquifer-based drinking water; or counties with 800,000+ residents containing part of the Edwards Aquifer or within the Hill Country Priority Groundwater Management Area. The bill does not create new regulations but specifies the geographic and demographic criteria for which jurisdictions fall under the current stormwater management chapter. This change affects county governments and water authorities in those designated areas.
SB 28 limits groundwater transfers outside a conservation district by restricting permits that would allow an applicant to exceed 5% of the district's modeled available groundwater (effective after December 2025). It requires groundwater districts to obtain approval from at least two-thirds of neighboring districts in the management area before issuing permits for transfers exceeding 25,000 gallons daily, considering regional water goals. Exceptions apply for potable water transfers to retail utilities within their service areas or emergency interconnects between utilities. The bill directly affects entities seeking large-scale groundwater permits and groundwater conservation districts managing water transfers. These provisions aim to regulate cross-district groundwater use while preserving regional water sustainability goals.
