WATERWAYS: Provides for withdrawal of surface water from Lake Bistineau

HLS 26RS-780 ORIGINAL
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 710
BY REPRESENTATIVE BAMBURG
WATERWAYS: Provides for withdrawal of surface water from Lake Bistineau.
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 30:961(J), relative to withdrawals of surface water; to provide
3 for assessments on surface water withdrawals from Lake Bistineau for aquatic weed
4 control; to provide for the deposit of collected assessments into the Aquatic Plant
5 Control Dedicated Fund Account; and to provide for related matters.
6 Notice of intention to introduce this Act has been published
7 as provided by Article III, Section 13 of the Constitution of
8 Louisiana.
9 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
10 Section 1. R.S. 30:961(J) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
11 §961. Cooperative endeavor agreements; withdrawal of surface water; intent
12 * * *
13 J.(1) The state shall be reimbursed at fair market value for all use or
14 withdrawal of running surface water from bodies of water managed by the
15 Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and determined by the office of fisheries to be
16 negatively impacted by invasive aquatic vegetation. Fair market value as used in this
17 Subsection shall be at a rate of not more than fifteen cents per thousand gallons, and
18 shall not include the economic development, employment, and increased tax
19 revenues created by the activities associated with the withdrawal of running surface
20 water.
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-780 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 710
1 (2)(a) In addition to the reimbursement required by Paragraph (1) of this
2 Subsection, an assessment shall be paid on the surface water withdrawn from Lake
3 Bistineau to cover the annual costs, not to exceed one million dollars, of the
4 treatment and control of aquatic weeds on Lake Bistineau as determined by the
5 Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
6 (b) Amounts collected pursuant to this Paragraph shall be deposited into the
7 Aquatic Plant Control Dedicated Fund Account established in R.S. 56:10.1.
8 Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection K of this Section, all amounts
9 collected pursuant to this Paragraph shall be used solely for the treatment and control
10 of aquatic weeds on Lake Bistineau.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 710 Original 2026 Regular Session Bamburg
Abstract: Provides for assessments on surface water withdrawals from Lake Bistineau and
for funds collected to be paid into the Aquatic Plant Control Dedicated Fund
Account to be used for the control of aquatic weeds.
Present law authorizes the withdrawal of running surface water pursuant to cooperative
endeavor agreements and requires reimbursement to the state at fair market value for
withdrawals from bodies of water managed by the Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries that are
negatively impacted by invasive aquatic vegetation. Such reimbursements are deposited into
the Aquatic Plant Control Dedicated Fund Account.
Proposed law retains the requirement for fair market value reimbursement and further
provides that an assessment is required on all running surface water withdrawn from Lake
Bistineau to fund the annual costs of the treatment and control of aquatic weeds on Lake
Bistineau. Specifies that the assessment is to be determined by the Dept. of Wildlife and
Fisheries and is capped at $1 million annually.
Proposed law requires that all amounts collected from the Lake Bistineau assessment be
deposited into the Aquatic Plant Control Dedicated Fund Account and mandates that such
amounts be used solely for the treatment and control of aquatic weeds on Lake Bistineau.
(Amends R.S. 30:961(J))
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.