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<br />c.
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<br />44
<br />
<br />FEDEfiAL WATER nIGHTS LEGISLATION
<br />
<br />l:tw or is there :t dual ,et of l:tws-one :tpplyiug to the Federal Gov-
<br />ernment allll allother apply to other users 1
<br />These (iuestions arose be<:ll\lSC the area. west. of the V8th meridian,
<br />wjth the except.ion of Texas, was J:lJ"gely aCJluired by the United Stat.c>.s
<br />by cession from o\.bcl' countries and t.hereby the Federal Government
<br />bec:une the sole owner :ellll aC'luil'cd fnll control over all property
<br />rights of every killll in t.h:~t, territol'Y, subject only to pl'CViOllSly exist-
<br />ing l'ight~ of o\Yllcrsliip. This propert,Y thus acquired by tbe Federul
<br />Gon'.J"illllcnt illelllded. of coarse, t.he water resources. J-low, t.hen, did
<br />the Stales aC<]l1 i 1'('; :IllY' rights therein ~
<br />At, t.he time of ,li,eo\'",'y of gol<l in C:elifornia in 1848, no statutory
<br />pro\"isinn h:l(l yet". lK'C'1I enacted hy Illc Fc(lcl'al Go\'ernment. for t.he
<br />acquisition :lnli ellforcemeut of titles to t.he lands and water of t.he
<br />fedcl':lJl:r o\\,])pd pllblic dlllll:1ill. There was little civil gO\'c111lnent
<br />for ha IldI ill::: ('.i\"il t'ollt.ro\"crsif's Letwel'n j h('. settlers.
<br />As a llatlll"iil result of these conditions, the miJlf~rs developp,d their
<br />own rules, l"(,~\Ilatiolls, and CllstOIllS gu\"cl"nillg their mining rights,
<br />and en forced j 1ir.11l by ('OIllIlIlITl itv ad.iOll.
<br />Sinco early minit;g in California, consisted of the working of sur-
<br />face grn..Ycls by hydraulic or placer methods, water was essentiu.l and,
<br />as n. cOllseqllence, miners also adopted cmtain customs or principles
<br />go\"erningthe. use of W:lter fm' milling pllrposes.
<br />Basically the principles adopted were those which we now recog-
<br />nize. as the doctrine of appropriation-t.l",t, the one first using the
<br />wnter has the prior right. to the use of it, to the extent. of his needs,
<br />and dilig-CllCC ill the const.nlctioll of a Ji,'ersion s.ystpm and cont.inued
<br />ns~ were' required to hold t,itlo to the water \1se, just, as similar stand-
<br />finis in working" the 1111110 wcre reql1ired to holu tit.le to it,.
<br />Tlwse ha...c.;ic prineipJf's WE're 1"erngnizcd uy local court. decit>ions and
<br />latp,r we-1'('.extcllded to other benetieiall1sc~of water.
<br />These cu~toms go\"erllin~ the USe of wa.ter had been in eft'ect some
<br />time before Congre.ss passed any lC'1l'islnJ.ion on t.he subject.
<br />. The first congression:tl act of July 26, 1866, resulted from insistence
<br />Oil the part. of t.}w wesrerll J\fembel~ of Congress that rights of miners,
<br />including their right to the use of water, be recognized and confirmed
<br />hy the Federal Go\'C'rnment.
<br />'Ot.he.r congressionn] acts followed, including tho Desert. Land Act
<br />of ~lnl'ch 3, 1877. Among the conrt. de.cisiOl15 construing the Df',sert
<br />Land Act is a decision of the V,S, Supreme Court rendered in 1035
<br />stat.iug that. thr. Goyernment., "" t.he owner of t.he puhlie domain, pos-
<br />ses,cd the powcr to dispose of the pnblie domain land and wat'll" to-
<br />gether or separatrly; t.hat the i!1tention of Congrcss, by the Desel'i
<br />Land Act, of 1877, was to estahhsh tho rnle t.hat, for the fut.nre, the
<br />land shollltl be patented separately and that all nonnavigable waters
<br />Oll tho public. dmnfl in should he reserved for tlle use of the public
<br />under the laws of the States and Territories,"
<br />Bet.ween lSI1G and 10:14 some 16 different acts of Congress were en-
<br />ncted recog-nizing- in one wa,y or anot.her the applicat.ion of Sta.te law
<br />in governing the use of the water resource in the public In.nd St.."\.tes.14
<br />Among these were the Reclamation Act of 1002 which directed the
<br />
<br />11 California-Oregon Power 00. v. Beaver Portland Cement 00. 29~ U.S. 142. .
<br />I' A lI"t of tbelle vnrlous nct" is found At pp. 295 to 299 or the hear'1ngs before the Sub.
<br />committee on Irrb:;otlon and Reclamation ot tbe SeDate Committee Oil Interior o.ud Insular
<br />AtrntrB, ti4th Con g., 2d 8eys., on S. 863, .
<br />
<br />,------
<br />
<br />FEDEfiAL WATER RIGHTS LEGISLATION
<br />
<br />45
<br />
<br />SOC1'C'lar.y of Intnrior to comply with SmtE', wa.ter la.ws in carrying
<br />out t.lw prO~l"il1n.
<br />The \VcstCl'll St:l.te.s point to these statuteS:1S their right and ftllUlOf-
<br />ity to COlllro] I-he 1I:5(~ and disposit.ion of the wnl(ll' rrSOllrccs, and nl.l'i-
<br />0118 cOllrt. dt'cisiollS n.ppc:ll' to COllnnn t.heir posit-iun.
<br />. Hilt. the Ic~nl dep"rtmellt. of the Federal Go\'ernlllent, the Depart-
<br />ment of ~TllSt ice, did not and doC's not. acquiesce in the, States' clnHn of
<br />control. The position of the Federal Govcrnment, was, :lnd is, that,
<br />a.lthou.~h t-ho~n wa.ter users who have appropriated watcr under State
<br />law arc protected in their water rights, nevert.heless the J;'ederal Gov-
<br />e~.nmellt owns (\,11 unappropriate{l wat.er of the public dOTHain and, by
<br />Ylrt.l1e of tllnt. ownership, t he Federal Government.,rC'I:llllS the. Ultilll:lt.e
<br />l'ig-ht, io cont-roI t.hr. use alld dispo~it.ioll thereof. This position of the
<br />DCpal'tllHmt, of J llstice is not of reeellt origin. It is a position cstab-
<br />Ji::;hp.d .'111<1 1.lIilinta.inell oYer n long pl~riod of yeal's :l1ld HIIl'll"}.r I1Iany
<br />nclIlllnlstrntlOlls,
<br />In lH;34 t.he Department of .Tustice T)l.escIlted this qllPst.ioll of O"'Ill',l"-
<br />ship tllld cont.rol for determination by the Federal courts in nn action
<br />bl'ollg-ht. u.y the State of N"ebl'nska a.-rainst tlw Stnio of 'VvomilllT seek-
<br />.ing; :1n e'lnit:1ble apportionment, of the waters of the NOlth'l'btte
<br />River as bcLween the two Stntcs.15 .
<br />Tilllt~ dol'S 110t: l!el'lllit. a rl'citntion in detail of the f\rg-lllnellt.s ill snp.
<br />port of 1.l1\~ posltlOn of the Fe(kl'al GOyerlllncllt in that action. In
<br />eS~t-'ol~ce. the hasis of the daim W:1S t.ha.t.1hc Federal Go\"(>rnment was
<br />onglll:llly /'lle o\rne1" of t,ho wat('r rc:-=;om'co when it obtained title t.o
<br />the I'."blie Iloma.iu; that the ])e,cl't. Laud Act of 1877 and ot.her eon-
<br />g-l'csslOllnl .acts \\"('1'0 not, ~II. irrevocable recog-nition of SCntes' rights
<br />hut \\'erc, 111 p,ffect., PP,I'n1ISSlYC or Jlonmandatory in nat.ure and that
<br />thereby l.hp. Fednrn.l Governlllcnt has not relinquished its ownership
<br />and control of tho unappropriated wa.ter,
<br />The Surrcme Court did not .determi'~e. the~e questions~ pointing out
<br />tha~ t]~o Fe~leral Go~ernment JJ~ that htlgatlOll was not an a.PI?ropri-
<br />ntm 01 l.ISP.l of wfilel and t.h~t It was Jlot neeessary to dctermllle tlle
<br />ownel'shlJl of the unapproprJ:ltcd waters, The quest.ion has not yet
<br />hc,cn detrrlllllled by tJle V,S, Snpl'eme COllI'\- and the posit.ion of the
<br />Stntc.s.nnd th(\Fedcr:d Govenlment. rel~lnin pss('ntially tIll:.': same as set
<br />f01i.h In the l' o.rth Platte case nnd t.hls unsettled quest.ion continues
<br />to be?- sore spot III Federal-State rlllations,
<br />TillS sore spot de\'~loped into a malig-naut. cancel' when the V,S,
<br />Supreme Conrt., In ~f),a5, hnnclc~ dow'n :t dC'cision commonly known as
<br />tho ~c1tf)~. ~fl?n de.clsI7n.16 Tlus decision il~ itself did not, create wi(le-
<br />?IH'C,ld a1.um III t.he" est boc.<l.nsc the qnest.101l of wutel" rilThts was not
<br />mv?~\'ed, The ~ollrt held in t.hat c:tse that. a power coni!Jany which
<br />d~lled to const.lllct. a powe~ (~:l.In on t.he Deschutes Ri\"er in Oregon
<br />d,d not have I~ obtain pel'mlSSlOll for t.his construction fl'om the Stat.e
<br />of Oregon. ~he State of Oregon contended t.hat t.he eonrrressional
<br />act.s of 1866, 1870, and the Desert. Land Act of 1877 g:\ve O~e"on the
<br />power to reg-ul.ate th~ ~lse of ~he wawr of the Deschntes Rive~.
<br />, The Court., III arl'lvlng at lis conclusion, held that. these con!ITes-
<br />Sl~l!a~ ajts dPp1y only to the, "public lands" and thut t.he lands ~pon
<br />w IC t Ie am was to be bUIlt were not "public lands" becallSe t.hey
<br />: NebralJka v. Wyomfng 32~ u.s. 589.
<br />Federal Power OommlBBirm \". Orcgon~ 3<&9 U.S. 43:S,
<br />
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