§ 36.102 — ENFORCEMENT OF RULES.

Texas § 36.102

• Jurisdiction: Texas
• Code WA: Water Code

Text

Sec. 36.102. ENFORCEMENT OF RULES. (a) A district may enforce this chapter and its rules against any person by injunction, mandatory injunction, or other appropriate remedy in a court of competent jurisdiction.
(b) Except as provided by Subsection (f), the board by rule may set reasonable civil penalties, including a range of reasonable civil penalties, that the district may recover from any person for breach of any rule of the district in an amount not to exceed $25,000 per day per violation, and each day of a continuing violation constitutes a separate violation.
(b-1) In determining the amount of a civil penalty under this section, the court shall consider:
(1) the nature, circumstances, extent, duration, and gravity of the violation, with special emphasis on the effect of the violation on:
(A) groundwater resources;
(B) another person's right to produce groundwater;
(C) public health and safety; or
(D) other water resources or the environment;
(2) with respect to the alleged violator:
(A) the history and extent of previous violations;
(B) the degree of culpability, including whether the violation was attributable to mechanical or electrical failures and whether the violation could have been reasonably anticipated and avoided;
(C) the demonstrated good faith, including actions taken by the alleged violator to rectify the cause of the violation and to compensate the affected person;
(D) whether there was an economic benefit gained as a result of the violation and, if so, the amount of the economic benefit;
(E) the amount necessary to deter future violations; and
(F) if the alleged violator is a person required to adopt a drought contingency plan under Section 11.1272 and overproduction of groundwater is the basis of the alleged violation, whether the person acted in good faith and exercised reasonable diligence in implementing and enforcing the terms of the plan; and
(3) any other matters that justice may require.
(c) A penalty under this section is in addition to any other penalty provided by the law of this state and may be enforced against any person by complaints filed in the appropriate court of jurisdiction in the county in which the district's principal office or meeting place is located.
(d) If the district prevails in any suit to enforce its rules, the district may seek and the court shall grant against any person, in the same action, recovery for attorney's fees, costs for expert witnesses, and other costs incurred by the district before the court. The amount of the attorney's fees shall be fixed by the court.
(e) In an enforcement action by a district against any person that is a governmental entity for a violation of district rules, the limits on the amount of fees, costs, and penalties that a district may impose under Section 36.122 , 36.205 , or this section, or under a special law governing a district operating under this chapter, constitute a limit of liability of the governmental entity for the violation. This subsection shall not be construed to prohibit the recovery by a district of fees and costs under Subsection (d) in an action against any person that is a governmental entity.
(f) In an enforcement action brought by a district against a person, the court may assess a penalty greater than the maximum penalty authorized under Subsection (b) if the court determines that the person gained an economic benefit as a result of the violation that was greater than the maximum penalty under Subsection (b). A penalty assessed under this subsection must be in an amount determined by the court to be necessary and appropriate to outweigh the economic benefit gained by the person as a result of the violation and discourage future violations.

Legislative History

Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 933, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1995. Amended by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 548, Sec. 2, eff. June 11, 2001; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 966, Sec. 2.45, eff. Sept. 1, 2001. Amended by: Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 425 (H.B. 2063 ), Sec. 1, eff. June 19, 2009. Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1121 (H.B. 5560 ), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2025.