Texas Water Code - WATER § 11.148. Emergency Suspension of Permit Conditions and Emergency Authority to Make Available Water Set Aside for Environmental Flows

(a) Permit conditions relating to beneficial inflows to affected bays and estuaries and instream uses may be suspended by the commission if the commission finds that an emergency exists and cannot practically be resolved in other ways.

(a-1) State water that is set aside by the commission to meet the needs for freshwater inflows to affected bays and estuaries and instream uses under Section 11.1471(a)(2) may be made available temporarily for other essential beneficial uses if the commission finds that an emergency exists that cannot practically be resolved in another way.

(b) Before the commission suspends a permit condition under Subsection (a) or makes water available temporarily under Subsection (a-1), it must give written notice to the Parks and Wildlife Department of the proposed action.  The commission shall give the Parks and Wildlife Department an opportunity to submit comments on the proposed action within 72 hours from such time and the commission shall consider those comments before issuing its order implementing the proposed action.

(c) The commission may suspend the permit condition under Subsection (a) or make water available temporarily under Subsection (a-1) without notice to any other interested party other than the Parks and Wildlife Department as provided by Subsection (b).  However, all affected persons shall be notified immediately by publication, and a hearing to determine whether the suspension should be continued shall be held within 15 days of the date on which the order to suspend is issued.