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WSP08485
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Last modified
1/26/2010 2:48:24 PM
Creation date
10/12/2006 3:00:30 AM
Metadata
Fields
Template:
Water Supply Protection
File Number
8062
Description
Federal Water Rights
State
CO
Basin
Statewide
Date
9/16/1981
Author
USDOI
Title
Federal Non-Reserved Water Rights - United States Compliance with State Law
Water Supply Pro - Doc Type
Report/Study
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<br />, <br /> <br />0052 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />'. <br /> <br />- 11 - <br /> <br />In r~view1n~ the ~nlted Stat~s' use and control of water before creation of the <br />res€::rved rights, tru:: Court. r.JLed thar prior t.o the: cI-=:ation of the national <br />forest reservatio~sJ Congress was of the opinion that: <br /> <br />th~ States had exclusive control of tile distribution <br />of ~at~r on public lands and reservations.~! <br /> <br />The Court implies throughout the New Mexico opinion that the United States, <br />without cr~aung a reservation and thus impliedly reserving the water, had no <br />control or mea"s of preventin6 the public (or private ap;>ropriators) from <br />appropriating all the waters in the National Forests pursuant to state laws. <br />For exa"'ple, the Court states that befote the Forest Service Organic Act was <br />passed the public had free rei1n to go llpon the public domain and llse water <br />reSOlltCes withollt t~striction.~j In other wotds, WithOllt the formal reserva- <br />tion of the land from the general public domain, the water resources upon the <br />public domain cOllld not be controlled by the United States without fllrth~t <br />action by Congress ",odifying, amending, Ot repealing the 1806, 1870, and IM77 <br />Acts that gave tne states the express right to control the dis;>osition of <br />water resources thereon. <br /> <br />The New Mexico COllrt conclllded that unless Congress ex;>tessly indicated to the <br />contrary, "federal entities must abide by state water law.-~! and "where <br />watet is only valuable for a secondary use [on a federal reserv"tion] . . . <br />Con tess intended that the united States would ac uire water in the same manner <br />as any other public or private approptiatot." (emphasis added)__ A clearer <br />statement of the law could not be made. <br /> <br />Certainly New Mexico, sllpra, and California, supra, reaffirm that congressional <br />deference to state control over water arises from the 1866, 1870, and 1877 <br />Acts, as well as the 1902 Reclamation Act and nwnerous other public land use <br />statutes enacted over the years. ob! The unavoidable conclusion to be reacned <br />from these cases is that Congress gave the states broad power to provide for <br />the administration of water rights which would only be limited where necessary <br />to accomplish tbe otiginal purpose of a congressionally mandated reservation <br />or to protect tne navigation servitude. As a result of this implicit grant of <br />power, the preswnption is that state law will control all non-reserved claims <br />unless Congress provides otnetwise. If Congress vishes to abandon its histori- <br />cal practice of deference it must explicitly exercise its power. Wbile the <br />Congress has retained the right to amend theae laws and reassert legislative <br />control over a portion or all of the remaining unappropriated water in a <br /> <br />62/ U.S. v. New ~Iexico, supra, at 710, nt. 24. <br /> <br />~/ 438 U.S. at 705-706. <br /> <br />64/ ~. page 7Ul. <br /> <br />~! Id. <br /> <br />~! 438 U.s. at 7UL, nt. 5. <br /> <br />""::." <br />
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