Relating to water rights placed in the Texas Water Trust and the Texas Water Bank.

HB 4530 amends Texas Water Code to establish clearer processes for dedicating surface and groundwater rights to the Texas Water Trust for environmental purposes. It requires commission review (for surface water) and board approval (for groundwater) before rights can be placed in the trust, with input from the Parks and Wildlife Department and agriculture agencies. The bill mandates that trust-managed water rights must align with their original environmental dedication (such as maintaining instream flows, habitat, or bay inflows) and maximize ecological benefits. This directly affects water rights holders seeking to voluntarily transfer rights, as well as state agencies managing water resources.