The bill would amend Chapter 26, Subchapter M, of the Water Code to extend the area of the John Graves Scenic Riverway to the Brazos River Basin and its contributing watershed in Somervell and Hood Counties.

According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the current John Graves Scenic Riverway program is a pilot program that permits, inspects, and enforces rules and regulations applicable to quarries in the area included in the Riverway.

The bill would require TCEQ to engage in rulemaking, modify the provisions of a general permit, and issue additional individual permits for 10 additional quarries in the extended area of the John Graves Scenic Riverway. The extension of area included in the Riverway means that increased monitoring and inspecting efforts would be required. However, the agency expects to accomplish the bill’s provisions utilizing current resources.
 
The bill requires the agency to begin enforcement of Subchapter M by January 1, 2010. TCEQ states that the time frame may not allow enough time to complete rulemaking and amend the general permit, processes that the agency says can take 12 months to complete.