Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1945 )

OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Honorable George W. COX, E. D. State Health Offiaar Texas State Board of Health Austin 8, Texas 0plnlon lvo.O-6810 Re: tremd ~tmge rr0m Lake into the Medlna Dear Sir: Your regueat and reada, in part, as r lnerease In 0urriaiant t in the ixirtlally blochamloal orygen aa eonoen Ion of bacteria ooeurs Tha oapaolty 0r Mltoholl Lake la llmlted and elnoe the rate of evaporation doss not spud the rate of inflow, it Is neasaeary that the oontonts be perlodloally dlsoharged to the Medlna Rltcr. Throqh an agreement with down&ream riparlan ownera, according to San Antonio officials, the i .. iionorablo Coozjp W. Cox - Pnga t water 2 Mltohell Lake la net paanltt~a to mtar in, the X041 Jivar exoept during parlode or flooding on the rlyr watrmhea. AS We WaUM.MtI it, the PdfialPal ,oWotlon to Xlteh.11Lake water is the green 007 muitionoa ebov'b. “Sm.~tenlo offlolale lra mare or thm llmlted eapaoltr or tholr 8mmes troatmurt iaoil.itire ma plans lra now wa0mr ror t&r oonrtruotioa 0r rueded impnwamonta: howo~or, aonaidr?ablo time will k moma la oarqlng this i.apror~ent .program to o&mpletlon. Lately, Baa Antonio ottislala lmro infoxmed ua that ~dao to the lbaonoo OS haary ralna la the Mo~Ilna Rlvor wataahad ?or a long pario of tl.w aa lmo r enar rltoatlon haa lr la enwhorebr the wator 10~01 & Uteholl Lake ia rory aoar the over- flowing paint. It la toand that wlk!out the die- oharge ot some water from the lake, damage to the daa and dikes will Naalt with tha poaslblllty of a oomplste break Whlah would oauae the flooding of the oountry eldr in, the riolnlty as wall as result in objeotiori- able quantltlea of ZSitohellLake water sntorlng the Yedlna Riror. "It 18 tha deeIre of the city of San Antonio; in order to avoid this danger, t3 pazmlt the graawl dlaoharge or water from xltohall Lake to the MadiLUi Eiirorin jwt arbr~oiant quantitiaa to mlntaln the ‘lake lavol at a sate point. Thoy have sooordlngly roqueated poamlaslon rrom this DepaxQmnt to follow luoh a prooeddilre. 98 should llka, thamfom, to hats an oplljoa Fran your oifloa a8 to whathar oerrpingout the PM- poaal aado b the olty oar ba authorizea under tha lxla$laganJ -atroampollutionrtatut.8.” We invite to Jour attention the pertinent prwlalona or the atatutra of ~oxaa ralatlng to the lubjeot Of your ln- UU-T~ Artiole 4444, RevisedCivil Statutes of Texas, made, in part, M fbllowa: aNo peraon, flzm or OOrporStlOn, prlVata or munlolpal shall pollute lay water.oourae or other pub110 boiy 0r water, by throwlng, aaatlng or da- poaltlagor oauslng to be thmwn, oaet or de?&alted any orude petroleum, 011 or other like aubatanoa tharaln, or pollute any water oourae, or other pub- 110 body or water rroa whloh water la taken for the norable Oeorgr W. Uox - Pa@ S i. altohen, whrm wait. 011 find8 it8 ny into wotar oouraaa 07 puT@loboaiao of Water, ohall be lq ulp p e6 with traps of rufflolentoapaolty to arrest the flow or 011. In 80 fur a8 roneerr thr pmtwtloa of fish and opstera .thebw, Flah and Oyafor Oomloaione~ or hio &eputly4 yg hare jurladlotlon in the onforoo- mnt honor, The State Boazd of Hulth lhbll mforoe the provlalon8 of thio lrtlolo.* + l ** . (lkphaalo&do&) Art1018 690b, ToRIon's Annotated Poaal O&e, reads, part, as followrr wSeotlon 1. It lhallbe ualmfal for any pornon, firm, oorporatlon,uoooiatlon, town, olty or other polltloal lubdltlolonof this State, or uy 'igent, orflorr,emplo or mpraaeatatireor any peroon, firm, oorporaton, uuolrtlon, towh, I" oit or 0th.r polltioal luMlvlalon of tkla-stute to poilate any pirbllo,body of aurfaoe water of this St.t.. "9.0. II. 'Pollute' i.8horrbr doflno6 to be the thmdn&, dloehr&n or Oth8mlOO pOnlttlry: to mooh or to bo -idr0au00a f nto any pabli. botll ,of rurraoo .water of thla state ULY 8ubmtan.o. rtorlal or thing la auoh qmntlty that tho luldntor la thoroby rmn- aaretlu&it for one or more of th8 btioflolaluooa for WhlOh ooah wUtSr ma ift or ouitableprier to the intmdwtioa o fluoh aubotanoo, naterltior.thlng, or la $h.r.b~.r.d0na haDa?ulto publio boolth, birds or game l@male, floh or bther ldlble lq uut ro anlamla, or lnaangoro any whrf, or lnaaw.n or bin- dora tho operation of any boat, or nadon lruanltory or unoloan 04 bathing beaoh. . '9.0. S. The tom QpubllabuQ of ourfoeewater of thla State' shall lnolode ml1 larfmor oneko r lr o r altruma, , bqooa, lamoaa, &kU Ma bOdf.8 Of lurfaoe watoa th a t are fe4 by a atroam or 8q-eoubjoet to orerflow from or into a Stru8i whloh are ttie prop- arty or the State OS Texas or any subalvlalon therebf, Eon6nble brorgo W. ddx - Pago 4 sa dlll portionro r th0 wr 0sMaxloo ulthln the &lfward boundary Of the State of Tone sad 811 lnlind watora 0s the State 0s T.XM in whloh the tide ebbs and flowa.w The above quoted atatutu olearly and ammblguoual~ deolaie lllogal osrtain aotr deemed to *pollute= a pub110 body of oarfao. water ln thl8 Stat., and w. aaeumo'from the faota as stat& in four request that the.dlsoharge of th. partially treated l.w.ge fram l4ltohellLake into the watora or tho YaU.na River JW~ WpollutoW the waters or said river in .ontra- ventlon to the statutes. Th. mforoement of the atatutu, aupra, la the only funotlon whloh is therein delegated to, and 11.8 within the punlew or tho daalgn6ted Boards or Conbniaolona. In support of this propoaltlon we .lnYite to your attontlonSeotlon67, Volume S7, page 433, of Texas Jurlaprudenoa, and the author- ltlea olted therein. Sala Saotlon retadlngas follows: wee. 67. Public offloers and'governtrmntaland admlniatratlvo Boards poaaeaa only a'uohpowea .a ar. expzeaely oonrerred upon thun by law or ase mma- eerily implied fmm th. powers so oonf.rmd.W' In oonroanlty ilth this .general atatmmut of the law, there appear. in Artlole44186, Vernon*a Annotated Clvll Stat- ut.8, the following language: u* * * He (Stat. Health OfflO.r) ah.11 have the power with the approval 0r the 'state Board 0s Health, ,to pursue and pramlgixto auoh adm&nlatratlrr rules and regulations, not laoonalatbnt with an law or the State, 08 may bearM8ed n.oeaaary~ xl? uvrwmnoe of the datl.8 lmpoaed by thla .zrc- other law upon the State Department of Health and lto several orri00m ana aitlaion8.* (Emphaalaadded). The emphasized portion oi the above stat&e when applied to the lnatant fatitsclearly manlfeeta th. L.g181atur.t3 intent to prohibit the State aoard or Health*a puraaln ox+ promulgating admlniatratlre re@.atlona inoonalatant wf th the lxlatlng anti-po!lutlon ltatut88. It follows from the above alted authoritlu that- lrreapeotlvo or emerguioloa or impenalng almg.m ty Boards . . - or ~aaloalom dooignatod br-tho ltatutoa, an OonflnOd to thooe p o nnlxpmooly dokyto4 to t,hembr th0 Leglolaturo and tidFzo and art oontra~.~to thoao dologatea pomrn ulll bo . I Wo trust the l bovij oatlafaotorll~ onoworo your ln- Yours vary truly BY /./ Boa b. Maddox Approtd mr 19, 1946 Assistant mwer sollerr Attorney Q-en-al oilmoe /_ BDM:jtldjr Approved: Opinion Comuittoe BYl HtfB Chairman