Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1941 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
lb. c. Y, Clerk, ChnlmuiS
Swrd of Fiator Zngineom
Austin, Texas
Dear Sir;
60 a6 to pennlt the perrdttes
wlthout inorsasing tile awoluit
“3. Will your ensmr to :;uestio?l MO. 2,
above ba in any mannor m0difi.d where the h&ii-
tionn i lanba sou:ht to be lr2iy,oiml 8x33 in water-
sheds, dlfforact fro3 the w5:eraheds co-?tainine
ILr. c,. 9. Clark, Chelruon - Fr.!:e 3
content6 Of the perdt itself. The Leg:elature has 6-t out
no suoh requirement where the weter is to be used for other
purposes.
Article 7493, Vernon*8 Annotatrd Cjtatutea, contains
the followipz language:
11 , if such pereon’s proposed use fa far
irriga&.&; a desorlption of the lends propoaed
to be lrri&ated, end, ao near a3 zay be, the total
aareage thereof" . . .
muet be included in the appllcetion.
Artlole 7508 roads In part aa iollowsr
“. . . if the proposed use is for irrigation,
such notice shall oanteln a general dexrlption
of the looatlon and erea OS the land to be irrl-
cated.*
Article 7515, preecribinlj the contents of the permits,
lnoludeta the tollowine, verblai;e!
” if such approprietion io ror LtrigatFon (it
must c&Cain) a description 6nd statement of the ap-
pro-t% area of the land to be lrrigated.a (Perenthet-
lcsl matter oure).
&tlole 7532 authorizes the Boerd of Water Engineers
to co&leot a fee based upon the number of acres to be irzigc-
teb when water is appropriated for irrieatlon purpoeee.
If It was the legielativs intent that an appropriator
of water for lxrlgation purpose8 ehould be free to use euoh
water to lrrigut.9 any lend ho ohase, we oen oonoeivs of no
reason far requiri that the land be &ascribed ln eaoh of
these enaotments. 2 f it waa Intended that the appropriator
oould ignore the fact that a partloular tract of land wae
described in his permit, It muet be assu.med,that the Leeisle-
ture has required a uaolees thing. Under well recognized
rulea of etatutory construction we CC,? nnke 110 such SSSUTP-
tion.
The Ytnte OfTexas wa5 e;zon~ the last or the Xe-tern
Etstes to find it neoeesary to regulate by statute the use of
li?. C. 9. Clark, Page 4
water from its riVera end Bt.reme. Lt w35 9nly netural thera-
fore that it borrowed frou %naotRentR in other Crates in eottlng
up a statutory nethod of BLsallng ;uith the problam.
*The Texas Accte are variously reputed to be tiodeled
after the btetutes Of OreEOn, Syoain and Nebraska. (See
!Xe>orte of the Attorney Cenoral, 191 %-15, page 703’ 3oe:a v.
IdoKnight, 111 Tex. 82, 229 S. ‘ii. 3Olt EcKnl&t v. frrigstion
COLUMNS, 207 4, 3. 599) . . . The provisiono for the adjudl-
oation 0r water righta, which was tha chief innovation in the
Act of 1917, soens directly copied r’rcm that rollf io psiwnt ,
the Wyoming ‘Sstatute; acd itn cloa:st perelle P , the Kebrasks
Aot.” 7 T, t. 2. 86,99.
He rind no Tcxoa CSPQVi.ecling with the si#t ar en
appropriator or water for irrir,atio3 pa-poses to use the mter
oh lands other then those Gescribed in his pertit.
The rule in ayoting end Nobreskn, the two st.atbt from
I whioh our laws relating to the adjudication of watsr rights
ape derived, i8, apparently, that the appropriator Is rc-
strictad to thr lands desorlb%d in his petit,
In the 0868 of L,inool.n
Land Co. v. Da~fa, 27 T. Su>p.
1006, the United States District Court for the Xatrlot oi
Y;yoming, UBy 1, 1939, salal
wAgain, Qesenaont claims . . . tho right to
Irrigate 42 acme 00 lam3 in Seotion 33 Fhioh he
has roolaimed and purports over a period of pars
to have irri,pted throu& a diver&on iron plein-
tiff’e ditoh. iYere euoh ~oroof euotalned as to
the land in seotion )J it-would be of no oonaa-
buenoe to the defmdent in this prooeedina. for
th% reoson that no land in aPotion 33 ws8 ijmATiEtd
in the arlainel approoriation. The deiendont
would have no ripht to LrriS:at% land ior rrhlch.
ho eporoprietlon bud orev1ouel.y be’?n taken out,
end c%rtaialg the clrlntiil uould have ho rlcht 08
owner of the permit to mant the us% of water for
Lends other thar those to whioh the e~propriction
a ~olied. The water b8lOq;s to ths i3teta and only
the use of it is granted to M appropriator in
the mmher ahd :-;cthod npe~lTlcally peraittod.”
(Uhderoooring 0~s).
=* c, 3. Clark, Po::e 5
In the oaae of i;arnar’e Ir:i6atfon Dist. v. i-rank,
100 ti. W. 286, the Supreme Court of Hebra3ke said:
*There are tmo cxflictir16 ideoo up011which the
lam of the several state8 end tcrritorlee relating
to the use o;,;ateJ a for the purposes or irrii;atlon
ure based. ‘. is tklt any pernon or indlvlduel my
appropriate surplus waters whioh have not therefororc
been a:.,propriated, end my ur.,e the 3me to 1rrlCete cuch
lands aa he my mm fit. ‘ihic ~3 the basis or our
irrigation lam in this s;fite until the passa@ of the
bot of 1695 (Lnws 1695, p. 244 c. 59). This systera
tends to breed raonopolles. end Lo lecd to Qnta,:onlsms,
6nd to strife and dissension. wince tte land in arid
regions ie useless for the purp6se of agriculture
1~1338 water i3 applied to it, this dootrihe makes
:he landowner dependont upon the owner of the water
rkht. and leads to mom exaction8 and abum6. The
doctrine,of prfvate &nsrehlp of water for irzinai%n
purposee. dioaseool ted from the land to whloh it i3
de&wed to be ap~liod hQa been proved by low ex-
pcrianca to be dotrimntal to the puSlio xolfcre.
It has proved productive of endless controversies
apd abuses, end has i~,lven rim to interminable lcti-
Cation, The other doctrine is that the r5&ht to the
uoe of water ehould never be 3eDarated fro3 the land
to whloh,lt ia to be applied. *Uhore thio dootrine,
pravails, canala and ditches bsoorns, like rallroode,
great semi public utflities, mans of oohvsyenae or a
publio oomodity, their owners entitled ,to edatjuate
ooqehsatlon for st~vicee rendered, but havine no
ovmerehlp In roperty distributed.’ Report on Irrl-
gatlon in Cal Pforhia, F. 6. n6. Dept. 1901. It la
umeoeaaary to set forth here the advahta&as of this’
idea. By the a&option of the irrigation lam or 1695,
vihfoh was nod&led upon the byomin6 law, thris stotb
adopted the latter policy, bJ’ which the rl6ht to UBB
the water eholl not be erantad FmporQta froiu the land
to whioh it la to be ap>lied, and that the r&ht t0
u3a the water should attaoh to the land, and whexi t!le
lend is sold, be sold wlth it; and for this rcxnon the
statute le explioit in rec!uirin!: e dercrigtion of the
&md to be irri.!7et~d. and the 8rmLnt tiiereof, to be Set
forth in the etplicction. j. ctlon 6762, Vol. 2;
Cobb@ B Ann. :>t. 1903, provldes:‘~ *.-very peeon,
blr.c. 3. Clark, Pai e 6
aaaociation or oorgorstion hereafter int,nUn(;
to a;.propriata any oi’ the public N&tars of the
State of Hebrnska shall, Letore oo:m3nci.nS the
oonatruotion, anlargament or oxtension or any
diatributiug worke, of performing any work in
oonnaotlon with aaid aFpivpriation, m&e an
applioation to the State 3osrd for a parnit to
make euah agpropriatfon. Snid application aholl
Bt forth'the Z~CELGand ~OStOiffcO i3ddreES or the
applioent, the BOUI'CCfrom which oeid a>proprle-
tion shall be msde, tho 5muht thereor at near
as my be, location of any proposed work in COII-
neotion t!iere+?.th, tbo tine required for their
ooapletion,mill tine to e.xbbruce t3s ::arioE. re-
quired for the construotion of the ditcherr thereon,
an& the time fit i+ich the arplicstion of the u’ai,er
ror becericial p'urpoeeo &.a11 be irdej B5lch
said tlma aim11 be limited to that raqulrod for
the oompletlon of the work whez proaecutad aith
diligence, the purpose for which water is to bs
augpliad, md 1: for lr~i:_ntion a descriation
of the land to bc irri6:etcd. sod trio olxou;lt thereof,
and any adbition?il tscts nnicn nay ba required b7
the State 30~14 . . m (Kate the nistlarlty with
Articlea 7/+92-7493 TiCS) (Underscoring ours).
It lo providc;C br Article 7531, il. C. 3. 1925,
that the Board of Zatoz An~cers "my adopt, promlgtite
eind enforce suoh rule8, rs~ulatioaa and sodea of proce3uz-e
ae it ney deez~ prqer for the 2izehorEe of the d:ities
ticunbent upor it . . .*
Xe are advfefd in your letter that the Doard has
unif0rd.y ruleC that t?93 approprihtor 0 I weter for irrlpstion
purpoaas may not uac sue!: water u?on lands other than those
de5cribed In his permit, end to thla end the Board requiruo a
full axA oompleta descziptlon of all londa proposed to be
ir,~iEatsd under a permi+,. See 2~10s a&cl Zegulatlon8 of the
aoard of Wter &ngineare, paCe 15.
The conetrurtion place& u>on &tat&es by the sd&h-
istratfve body che?S,:b ':ilth the duty of er.forclnC suoh
statutes has often b-en !lcld to be controll-. 39 Trx. Jur.235,
sec. 125.
I3 the lL.ht or the above authoor,ities, it la oup
conclusfon that you: ;'irst inquiry ahould be ens:: red in the
affirmative, and you ert! 50 &via-d.
Mr, C, S. Clark, Face 7
Your seoood Lnquiry in701v29 tha ``uestion of
prioritlea an3 the powers of the l3osrd to smnd an oxistin(;
permit to fnoluda landa other than those 3eeoribed in the
origlncl permit. Xere s.;n n WC 3x cznfrmted~ with the
fact tilat the Lc~lSlaturc ha3 not in s~?ciilc lnnp,ua~e Slzt
out a dcflnito rule.
Se believe tLRt the _co;Jer cf the- !:osrd of iVoter
Enf$neors to amend a permit 5.n t!‘.st zsJ!r.er in inoludek vtithin
the rule-miciw yorcr of t!.e Socrd LLZ~C~Artiole 75jl,., suyro.
It ie &pxIareJ.?.yhtld that such E change ln place
of use should 5s allowed if no other wa';er user is thareby
Zowor Co. v. Striolclccd, 54 3. Ct. $3, 290 U. 3. 590, 78 L.
Zd. 520.
Non-riperian lands ao;luirc rights to water by
statutory appropriation alone, and the first appropriator
In time is first in rig!!t. Sic&s Q. Erillar (Cfv, App.,
B1 Foeo, 1912) 147 S. ‘ii. 632.
Ke aall your attention to 0 conferenoe~oplnion
``&h;~;T;~to~; W;;;;iE,d;ted February 10, 1921, in whioh
n answar to a sFmller inquiry:
'cpour lne:eoi giver at such tize and such
place, Fr. such ;noEe snA xf4nceT as Lko 3oard my prc-
soribe; and fxm any Aeclalor, 31’ t!ie koord an ap;ieal
nap bc t&en to. the district coUi% s:’ the comty in
which suoh diversion is pco~oscd to bo mado, iin the
lno413 an& r:amer p?eSoribod In tilis ohnptar for bther
appeals from tke dec~slor 0; the Sozrd. (Xots 1917,
P* 230, Leo. el).”
;;b a0 net believe t&t this nr?.lcle WLS inten~:ed t0
deprive an a?proprihtor of eg @.orlty he mi&t hcve aC;uire4
under a pravious pemit. It rmrdy psovides for 3 ;I;ecial.
honrlne in the evmt the neter 00 o;)psp:iate4 ie t;J ba Use<
in a wa~erahe4 different rron thst frcxa vbich tho ;>>atez ia
taken,
SO 1Oilc CC? the rights 0: other cpproprlators ore not
aAversely af:actsA, We b;lieve the 3oRrA has the powi .to
Lb. c. S. Clark, Page 9
grant the appropriator the right to UBB the water In another
natalshed and upon a tract of land difftmmt rron tbnt con-
t.shled in hi6 perlnlt.
Me, therefore, answer y0u.z third inquiry in the
meative.
By the very languu~e of the statute; Article 7495
is restrioted to the ‘alteration, onlaqeaent, extonaion
or addition to any ci~nal, dltoh . . .* and other sl&lar al-
terations.
This Artiole rocds oe follows:
Wothing ti thie Act shall be held or oonatruod
to require the filing of an applioetion or procuring;
of any permit for the alteration enlargsnsnt , sxten-
eion or addition to any ccnal, dtcJh or other work
thet does not csntemplate, or cvill not raeult in, an
inoroeeed appropriation, or the USC 0r a iarger volu~
of water, but before making any suoh alteration, en-
larganent, exttmeion or ad:lition, the person aez!ocfa-
tion or persons, corporation or irrlgatlon &triot
desiring to mike smm, shall file with the Board of
:;el;er LagFnesrs a Petalled atamxmt ard plan, for the
in?mmtion of the board, of the work proposed to be
dons .I
Kg, therefore, amwor your fourth lnc.uir~ la the
ne&3tlvc.
t
~!?rustl~ tiiat vre have sufficiently nnsaerea your
lnguiries, me ore
Pouro v6x-y truly
JvEo.``i.Y G’;1.,7:‘,2LOF T3:WS
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