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<br />FEDERAL WATER RIGHTS'LEGISLATION
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<br />SUMAf,\RY
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<br />It has been emphasized at various plaeeH above t.hat ~ve I!",'e "
<br />system of dual cont.rol of the Nation's ~tream~ amI tJw.t It IS t.llls that.
<br />gives rise to many of the proble:'~H w,t.1t whICh t;he bIlls HOW, before
<br />the committee are COIlCCl'IlCU. I hOllgh the pOInts that. tillS dunl
<br />system is not now and t.hat it is, indeed, virtu:~lly .inhe~-ellt in the struc.
<br />tUI'O of OUL' GOVCl"lIIl1cnt-a. Government which IS neither, on tho one
<br />hanel, !t mere coufederation of States nor, on the other, completely
<br />centralized-need be 110 more than st.ated, they afC, of course, well
<br />taken. HUlllling through the discussion, moreover, are two set.s of
<br />problems wbieh, t.hoHgh the distinction bet.ween them was frcquent.ly
<br />blurred 111 tho test.llllollY before th~ eomnllttee, need to I~. kept Hepa-
<br />rate: (1) t.hose ",hie-It involve consl(lCratlOH of the rel:~tlOns bctw~cn
<br />individual water users' right.s on the olle hnn~ and the rlgh~s or. chums.
<br />of the Fedem] Government. on the other; (2) t.hose wllleh mvolve
<br />eonsiderat.ion of the relations between t.he States on t.he one hanu and
<br />the Federa I Government and its ogeneies on the other, The first IS
<br />esselltinIly a problem of deciding- how fully "vested" the ri~hts to thE",
<br />use of water whieh indil'ic1uals have shall be treated as bemp;, The
<br />second is essentially a. problem of deciding' how fully t.he lHlminist.ra-
<br />tion of water resources particularly of those water resources whl('h
<br />are not now in use sh;1l be continued in or restored to the Stales,'"
<br />The st.rength of the' argument!n bvor of!t Federal yi,elding O!' refusal
<br />to yield may well be grE"ater In <?ne case than It,lS III tlie ot.her and
<br />it may well va!'y from instance to mstance dependmg on what Federal
<br />acth'ity is ill quest,ion at the moment. .
<br />1Vhat is now culled for, wit.h these remarks as background, IS an
<br />outline and snmm,,!''y of the kind of problems tlll\t we have ond of why
<br />weha\'ethem: . .
<br />(1) 'Ve h"ve, on the ,one hand, the facts that., with fewexceptJOn".!
<br />onr st.ream systems are IIlterstate st.ream syst.ems und that the sum ot
<br />all thp. interests in any such stream system t.ra.nscend those of anyone
<br />State throup;h which 'it. passes aud even, in some cases, those of aU the
<br />St"tes through which it passes,
<br />U1 A common fnetor In both of thE'~e is the oPt"n-endednE'l.lR of the Fl'd{'rnl clnlm!'!"
<br />Certnlnly lICe wouhl bp mllt"!l slmplf!'r for Stlltl' 1l11mlnlstrntor!'l nnd ~ tllHer concr[ltunl
<br />fr:lmework \\'I)l1hl he n\"nllnhle tl) tllrm and to Stnte It"gl!-ilntor!l It tbe WHIter.. doctrine were
<br />Dot IIIW Ir FI'fl('rnl Pov,,-er Commh'''lon IIc('nl'f'{'!l wcre ol'lI/:,efl to a~cllre p*!rmll.tllon to store
<br />anit 11I~''''rt wnt...r IHI otlll'r l1o.:t!rH III nccordllnce with S:tlltC' Inw, it' therl' wcre- no FC'dernl
<br />nll\'"h!utloll Frnltlldr. IInll Ir nil Frtlf'rlll Il/:,I'nckl'l whll'h mllkc \lse or the wnt('r!l or any
<br />Rtrf':lIn or or llllllrrj:rnuRf! !HlllrCI'!'l h:lft t'l f1c:t III thl' AIlIlll' Illllnnl'f 1I!'l rrl\'"lltt" IIpproprlntorl'l.
<br />Llkl'wl"l' rur 1111' 1110111'10111;'\\ watrr ll!ier. 1I.~ think.. or hlmfH'1r n!l hll'\'"lng-, nnll. he I" com-
<br />mUlllv 'r,:r"rrl'.1 t':' u" IUI1'11ll! 1\ .'"..."[,,,\,' rh.:ht. Thl' II'rm cnrrlr,.. wIth It II {"unllotnllon. or
<br />perm;lIlt'Il';" 111111 11I.l,.rl'll~'hllil.v 11>1 lonl.! fl!'l h... rontllllll'''' 10 pllt the wflt"r to hellerlclfll liRe.
<br />nut the 1lIIl'n-"Jlll",IrH'~'" or 1",~,I"rJlI claIms IJlVI.h'l':'l flllf'sUnll!'! which botlwr him, tou" How
<br />fully ",'slt'll I,.. n waler rlJ:'ht which may bt" !'et "!';llIe to Rntl:<ry nnvlJ:ntlon rf'fllll~cm\'nt!l?
<br />How full" prot....cl..11 11'1 It II/:,nlnst claims ml\llC' on bC'hnlt of :In c:<pnndln.cl' Inllu\R use?
<br />Whnt nrr" It" ownl'r'" rl/:'ht.. Il!'l ng:lln~t tho:<c of othrr" who derive their wnter ElUpply trom,
<br />IIUV. n Frllrrnl projf'ct built ror flood control nnd 1I111ed pnrpOl"eR?
<br />To n",k tllf'l"C' qlw!'ltlon" I'" not 10 nnl'lWf"f them or to '-'lIJ:'l;'e!'lt tllnt IIINe arc not counter-
<br />YnIlJn::'~oll."lllerntlollR on the F'cff/'rlll ~hlr. or the plctllrc. It 1~ merl'ly to IIIlY t1"lnt thcy
<br />fl.r/' Iwrlnll!'l 1J1lf'"tlll!l!l which d~.~("rl'"C IOcrl01lR e"llf.<ilIl'rntlon. In nny evcnt, ho~ev('r, It
<br />nllH't nl~o h{' notf',1 fhnt, C\"t'!1l Ir nil I"f'tlerlll ('lnlm'! cOIlIl! become do~c-entJl'd, Ihl.'! would
<br />not rurni<:h ('I>mplet" protct"llon ellILl'r to tile !ilflh'!fllllll Hlntf'Il, 8uhJcct 1111 the.v ore to the
<br />rule of cql1ltnhll' llP'portlonmcnt (KIlII"11I1 v. Colorallo, 20G U.S. 40 (1001): WlIominv v,
<br />Col"ra,/o, 2:-,9 U"~. 419 (1022) ; Nl!braHka v. Wvolllill0, .upra no to 110). or to the Indlvldunl
<br />wat('r ll~crlf ~ubject nK they ure to the t:/lnu! rul~ nl'I npplled bet.....et"n the Stntell nnd D.~
<br />emboitlf'd In' lntf'rHtnte compnctA (llinderZider v. LB PlatR River and Cherry Grect DUe,.
<br />Co :l04 US 92 (1938)) and at lenst In some Wl"stern St.otl"S, to sucb husnrds as tboRn
<br />th~t 'rh:e from tbe yueblo rights doctrine (Ban Diego .... OtluamactJ Water 00.(..209 Calif.
<br />105,21'1 Pile. "7ri ( 930) ;'Cart\ClngM T. PubUo Bervic" 00. 01 HetrJ Mezioo, 66.N. MeI, 6....
<br />843 Pac. 2d 6601 (UriS)).
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<br />FEDERAL WATER RIGHTS LEGISLATION
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<br />35
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<br />(2) 'Ve ha.\'e, again! t.hc f:lct t.hnt ~ur. streams arc heing ~allcd on
<br />to f1l111ish water for dn'crse lmu conflH'.tmp; purposes. For IIlstu-lIec,
<br />t.he full US" of the flow of a st.ream, regulated 01' 11nrep;l1lated, to sl1pply
<br />llnvigation rC'lllil'C'.lnents is (or, at. least ill lllfmy inst:llleCS, may be)
<br />inconsistcnt with its use for irrigat.ion, In most. cnscs, t.hcse useS:lre
<br />lIses by pl'ivnte interests and, though our pl'o11cm is frcqucntly
<br />phrased as though it were ~'me of. the. Federal Government or of a.
<br />Fodeml agency verS11S t.J,le States, Jt, will more fr~'Iue11t.I'y be th~lt of
<br />priv,tt" illte)'C'sts op<,rat.lllg under Federal allspIces vcrSll:; pl"l\"nte
<br />lIltf'l'P-sts opl'.l'nting ll1HI(':r :;tate auspices, . .
<br />(a) We have a sl1bstant.ial body of law and doctrme 11nder wJlleh
<br />t.he United States and its ugelll'ies exen.ise the 1'011'0,1' to eont.rol the
<br />stl'C'alllS for at. lcnst ::ome pUl"}>OSCS, Vast. cxpC'IHliturC's of Federal
<br />money have h<>en made to accomplish cCli:!in of t.hr.~c purposes. In
<br />ot.her inst:illCes. suhstilntialnon-Fellel'al expe.nditures ha\-e been made
<br />in l'elianr.e nn t.he Federal po we I' and \\'illingllPss to control.
<br />(4) rVe hal"e, on the ot.her ha11d, the basie a"llIl1ption t.hat, to the
<br />extent t.hat the Unite,] States does IIOt, aet, tho. States lllay act, to
<br />o.ont.rol t.heHe streams and we have, in a,l<lition, t.he fact that it has
<br />been left to the St.ate.s, for the most. purt, to prescribe the 1'l1les by
<br />which private rights to t,lle use of water may be nC'lllired and, where
<br />such right.s require administ.ration, to provide tlie same. It is also a
<br />fnet. t.lw.t, quite apart from nllY COllstitlltiollal issue that lllay be In-
<br />voh.ed, there is no inclinat.ion 011 the part. of the Federnl Government
<br />t.o dist.urb this arrangement, ill any wholesale fa::=;hion.
<br />(5) 'Ve hn.\'e, as a 'eomplement, to and confirmation of this pract.ice,
<br />t.he facts t hat Congress in 18G6, I8iD, und I8ii eonsentell to the "'estern
<br />States' exercisillfT tho power to prescribE'; t.he rule uy which localllses
<br />of water are tor:-:-be f'Toverned and that. it. has lle\.e.l' witllllrawn t.his
<br />consent in t.erms. "~have, as n. f1l11.her fad, t.lie clear implication in
<br />t.he 18i7 ad t.hat t.his rnle is applieltble only to the nonnavigable por-
<br />t.iolls of fllIV strcam systt?m. "
<br />(6) 'Ve~hn.\"l', ns a fact, the existence of many rights to the use of
<br />W:ltel' in Ow hands of private part.ies, ~lost of thesc ol'i!!,inatell in
<br />State ]aw allll pract.iee. Some, however, ,lepelld on Fel]erolla,w, The
<br />extent to which t.he fanner are fully "\'estecF' n1so depenrIs, to some"
<br />extent, on Fednral law.
<br />.(i) 'Ve have, as history, the fact that. cont.rol, hot.h Federal and
<br />Statf'. OVf':1' tho 1150 of water has growll enormollsly during t.hc past. 100
<br />)'ent's rlml \\'0 ll:l.ve tlJ(~ pl'ohnhilily t.hat. it, will ("()1\tillll(, to g'l'O\\" Iluring'
<br />t.he next, 100 years as demands il\(,.1"ril:=;c. "'e h;I\"C, thel'cforr~ tho prob-
<br />ability of g'l'catel' and g"l"catcr involn>.lllP_llt ns the Y(>-:ll'S 1!O 011.
<br />(8) "'c. ha\'e, finally, the fact that. in some inHlanees COlI!!,I'OSS has
<br />required Federal ug-encies t.o conform to State law wid} rf'Spcct. to the
<br />appropriat.ion, control, use and distrihntioll of water nnd flint. in otlw.r
<br />inst.n.nccs it haB not. done so. Contrary implicat.ions can h~ dl'n.wn
<br />from this practice. It. can bo snlcl, on t.he one hanel, that, it. hag uC'cn the
<br />Congress' historic policy to rc'luire s11ch conformit.y in many instances
<br />and that, t.herefore, conformity shonld be the rule el'en when it is not
<br />required by law, It can be said, on t.he other hand, thltt the ine.lnsion
<br />of the requirement in some cases and its omission in ot.hers is sig-
<br />nificant and that !tny Federal agency which goes out of its road to con-
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