✅Relating to the composition of the board of directors and the powers of the Presidio County Underground Water Conservation District.

✅ SB 3044: Local water board adds city representation

What it says it does:
SB 3044 updates the Presidio County Underground Water Conservation District’s governing law. It expands the board, clarifies powers under the Texas Water Code, and keeps the district under the supervision of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

What it actually changes:
The bill increases the board from five to seven members and gives the City of Marfa and the City of Presidio each one appointed seat. It exempts this district from Water Code Section 36.121 and replaces older terms like “underground water” with “groundwater.”

Who is pushing for it:
Sen. César Blanco is listed as the author. In the witness list, Ty Embrey appeared on behalf of the Presidio County Underground Water Conservation District in support. No political action committees or outside lobby groups are named in the files.

Who benefits:
Residents of Marfa and Presidio gain a direct voice in how local groundwater is managed. The district gains legal clarity and slightly more flexibility to handle water management under its own rules.

Who gets left out or exposed:
No opponents are named in the files. The only subtle shift is that the county loses some exclusive appointment power over the district’s board.

Why this matters long term:
Water rights and management are central to West Texas development. By giving cities representation, the bill strengthens local input and modernizes outdated governance rules that could otherwise limit responsiveness to growth or drought conditions.

What to watch next:
Monitor how Marfa and Presidio select their appointees, whether meetings and reports stay open and accessible, and how the exemption from Section 36.121 is used in future groundwater regulation.

Bottom line:
This is a targeted local reform that increases local representation and updates old legal language without creating new costs or removing public oversight.

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