Tex. Spec. Dist. Code § 5007.004 – Grant of Title to Certain Islands and Other Land; Related Powers and Duties; Riparian Landowners; Reservation of Certain State Rights and Powers

(a) That all right, title and interest of the State of Texas, to all lands hereinafter in this section described, to wit:
All islands and lands owned by the State of Texas, many of which are subject to overflow, known as Barnes Island, Alexander Island, Goat Island, Diamond Island and Hog Island in San Jacinto River above Lynchburg, and certain accretions formed by dredged material excavated from the channel and forming land attached to or near said Alexander Island, Hog Island between Goose Creek and Morgan Point, Atkinson Island, and all the submerged lands lying and being situated under the waters of Buffalo Bayou, San Jacinto River, White Oak Bayou, Bray's Bayou, Simms Bayou, Vinces Bayou, Hunting Bayou, Greens Bayou, Carpenters Bayou, Old River, Lost River, Goose Creek and Cedar Bayou, and all other streams within the authority tributary to the Houston Ship Channel, so far up said streams as the State may own same, together with all lands lying and being situated under the waters of Old River, Burnett's Bay, Crystal Lake, Scott's Bay, Peggy's Lake, Black Duck Bay, Tabbs Bay and San Jacinto Bay, and all other tidal flats or overflow land adjacent to or appurtenant to the above mentioned streams within the limits above mentioned except Mitchell's Bay and any area between said bay and the Houston Ship Channel, as now or hereafter located, is hereby granted to the authority, or its successors, for public purposes and for the development of commerce only, in accordance with the following provisions and stipulations herein contained; provided that inasmuch as it is the purpose of this section to grant said lands to the public agency which is developing the Port of Houston, upon the creation by legislation of other public agency which shall supersede the authority as the public agency developing the Port of Houston, the title to said lands shall be transferred from the authority to such public agency, either municipal or State, so provided, such public agency being referred to herein as the successors of the authority.
(b) The authority, or its successors, is hereby granted the right, power and authority to authorize, establish, construct, purchase, own, maintain, equip, regulate, operate and lease wharves, piers, docks, dry docks, marine ways and all other structures and appliances for facilitating or accommodating commerce or navigation, and to dredge out channels, slips and turning basins, and to fill in space between the main land and islands and to fill areas for wharves, piers, docks, dry docks, marine ways and for all other structures and appliances for facilitating and accommodating commerce and navigation, having first secured a permit from the Government of the United States of America as required by Federal law, and to construct, or cause or authorize to be constructed on said wharves, piers, docks, dry docks, marine ways and other structures and appliances for facilitating and accommodating commerce and navigation, or on lands so filled in, any and all elevators, warehouses, bunkers, railway terminals and sidetracks, or any other facilities or aids whatsoever to navigation or commerce. Said lands shall be used by the authority, or its successors, solely for the establishment, improvement and conduct of a harbor and ship channel and for the construction, maintenance and operation of any facilities or aids whatsoever related to the same, and the authority, or its successors, shall not at any time, grant, convey, give or alien said lands or any part thereof, to any individual, firm or corporation for any purpose whatsoever; provided, that the authority, or its successors, may grant franchises thereon for limited periods of time for wharves, and other public uses and purposes, and may lease said lands and facilities or any part thereof for limited periods for purposes consistent with this chapter, but no wharves, piers or structures of any kind shall be constructed on said lands by anyone save the authority, except under a franchise or lease granted by the authority and in a manner first prescribed by and approved of by the authority or its successors.
(c) For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this section, the authority, or its successors, is hereby granted the right, power and authority to abate and remove any and all encroachments or structures of any kind now or hereafter existing on said property, save such as may have been constructed under permit from the proper Federal authority, and shall have the right to bring such suit or suits as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section to the same extent and as fully and completely as the right to bring such a suit or suits existed in the State prior to the passage hereof.
(d) The purposes and provisions of this section, and the grants, rights and privileges, thereunder to the authority, shall not affect, curtail or abridge the rights or privileges of riparian owners of lands abutting upon the islands and lands subject to overflow, and lands lying under the streams, bays and lakes herein described or referred to, as the same existed under the Common Law or the Constitution or Statutes of Texas as of June 14, 1927, or to deprive riparian land owners of access to such streams, channels or waters.
(e) The State of Texas, may at any time, place the operation of the facilities under Subsection (b) under the supervision of the Railroad Commission of Texas, to insure reasonable wharfage and storage charges.
(f) The right is hereby expressly reserved by the State of Texas to erect on the lands herein conveyed such wharves, piers and buildings for State purposes as may hereafter be authorized by law.
(g) All mines and mineral rights, including oil and gas in and under said lands, together with the right to enter there on for the purpose of development, and the granting of permits to excavate sand, shell or marl and to collect the tax on same, are hereby expressly reserved to the State of Texas; provided necessary or proper access to the lands hereby ceded, together with all improvements heretofore made, or to be made, under any mineral leases issued by the State in connection with mineral rights herein reserved are made a condition of this grant, and are covenants running with the ceded lands; provided further, that leases hereafter made by the State, or operations thereunder in connection with reserved mineral rights shall not interfere with the improvements made, or to be made in the development of the ship channel by the authority, or franchise holders thereunder.
Transferred, redesignated and amended from Local Water Laws, Section 1, Chapter 292, 40R by Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 139 (H.B. 1642), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2013.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 758 (S.B. 1864), Sec. 2, eff. June 12, 2017.