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<br />FEDERAL WATER RIGHTS LEGISLATION
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<br />had bocn reserved by the Fednra' Governmnnt for power site purposes.
<br />The Conrt reasoned t.hat the Desert Land Act, providing for disposal
<br />of tho, pnblic domain, is inapplicable t.o lands which arc unqualifiedly
<br />suh/'ect to s,de and disposition becanse t.hey had, by reservation of the
<br />Fe< eral Gove.rnment, been appropriated for some other purposes, ,
<br />Althonrrh t.his decision did not involve wat"r rights, it was Immedi-
<br />..te.ly used by t.he Depart.ment of .Just.iee in the llawtlwme cnse in
<br />Nevada and the BIll" Ri1ler cases in Colomdo t.o assert t.hat., when any
<br />port.ion of tho, public domain has heen withdrawn or reserved by t.he
<br />Federal Goverlllnent. for any purpose, t.here immediat"ly vest.s in the
<br />Fe,leml Government. ns of't.he dat.e of withdrawal or re.servation a
<br />rirrht. to use a II water necessary to carry out the purposes of the with-
<br />d~wa.1. As a consPf}lIence any rights to the use of wat.er initiated after
<br />the date of tho, withdrawal are subject to the rights of the Federal
<br />Goyernme.nt even though those rights may not be exercised for many
<br />yea rs thcrea.ftcr.l1
<br />In other words, under t.he theory of t.he De.partment of Just.iee any
<br />right to the use of wat.er init.iate,l under State law aft'll' the data of
<br />a rescn'ation or withdrawal of public land is merely a squatter's right.
<br />If and when the Federal Go\'ernment desires to use the water for the
<br />purpose of the wit.h,lmwal or reservation, it may deprive the ILSer of
<br />water who ohtained his ri.!!hts under State law without compensa.tion
<br />therefor, Since statutes of I il11 itat.ion do not run aga.inst t.he Federal
<br />Go\"ernment., the squatter's right can never ripen into a. title superior
<br />to the rights of the Federal Government," As soon as the word
<br />spread of this posit.ion, of th,e Department of ,Justice,. conster~ation
<br />reigned among water CIrcles m the West. and t.he reactIOn was mune-
<br />diat.e,
<br />The reason for this renction was well stated by Mr, ,Justice Douglas
<br />in his dissent.inrr opinion in t.he Pelton Dam decision wherein he
<br />st.at"d his reason~ for such dissent in the following words:
<br />Tbe rens-on if':. that the rule adopted by the Conrt profonnflly nffects the pcono-
<br />mv of mnnv StrItes, ]0 of whom arc here in protest. In the 'Vest, the United
<br />States owns n vnst nlllount of Innd-in ~ollle Stntes, over ::;0 percent of all the
<br />)nnd. It by more> execut,i\'o action tbe Federnl lands mAY he re~ervcd Bnd all
<br />th(> w.nt{'r ril!:ht~ nppurtenl111t to them returned t.o the United Stnteg, vast. clislo-
<br />cation~ in tbe- c('onmnies of the Western Stntc,<:; may follow. For the right ot
<br />witl](lrawfll (If publiC': If1IHls c:r:lntecl h~' the 1010 nd is not only for "wnterpower
<br />sites" but for :l. host of public projC'Cts-"irrjgntioll, clnf:lsifie:ltion of lands, or
<br />othe-T puhlic purJl(lSe~." Felleml OmCi:lls h:1.\"e long sought tbat authority. It
<br />bas been con<;istently d('ni('tl them. 'Ve :;hould deny it .again. Cert.alnly the
<br />TJniterl Stntes could not nppropriate the water rig-hts in defiance ot Or('gon Inw,
<br />It it huilt UlE." dam. It should have no grenter authority when it makes a grant
<br />to n private power group,
<br />After t.his decision there was introduced int.o thA Congress of the
<br />United States t.he so-called Barrett wat.er bill" which proposed to
<br />settle once flod for fLU, by congrf'l)sional nct, not only the cla.imed
<br />effect of tho Pelton Dam cleeision, but also t.he longstanding claim of
<br />Federal ownership and cont.rol of the ulliLppropriated water of the
<br />pnblic domain,
<br />1~ State oj Nevada v. U.S., cnse No. 1241, U.S, Dh:trlct Court for the District of Nevada
<br />IHalllthar/le case) ; Actions 5016 nnd 5011 In the U,S. DistrIct Court tor the DIstrict ot
<br />Colorado (mile Ri1lcr cnsel't) ,
<br />18 See hcarlnl;::I brt'ore the Subcommittee on Irrigation and Rednmntlon of the Seonte
<br />CommlUl"e on Interior nDd Insular Atta.trs, 84th Cong., 2d BeBIiI., on B. 863, pp. 2~2 llod 2~3.
<br />II S. 803. 84th Cons.
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<br />FEDERAL WATER RIGHTS LEGISLATION
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<br />47
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<br />This legislation wns }>l'im:ll'ily designed to require t.h(l, use of wilter
<br />in t.he 'Vestern Sl.lltcs indlUlill,!.! liSPS hy t.he Fi.der:d Gon:'l'Jllllcnt. to
<br />bC'l'a('f1l1in'(l in ael'OI"Ja IlI.'C willi :-;tato }a.,;', Tlw ])l'partnH'nt of .JlI~t.ice
<br />tflkrs t,lw posiLjon, wit.lll'('g:ll.d to t.his Ic:.rislation. that fO reqllil'c tile
<br />Fedcml GoVeI'IlIlH'ut, to ohtain its rights to t 11<.'. lI:-ie of water lIlldeI'
<br />SCalo law \\'ollld be unconstitutional. Tho Vep;lrtmcllt points to the
<br />property c1au:-;o of the Federal Constitutioll/" wllich 51 ates:
<br />
<br />C.m:;::n':-:..,; ...1];\1\ hl1\.e 110\\"('(' to lli~JlO~l' of :ulll IllH};:\' 011 1l('l,\]f111 I"lll('~ nlld r\.:;::n.
<br />Inti"lls I"t'sJ1l'dillJ..:" tile t('lTirory or ollu:'. pl'lIlK'rry llL'l\)ll;.:itl~ 10 the L~lJit('d
<br />81..11(',... . '" ".
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<br />Tlw ])epartlnl'llt of .Just.icl', :IS I undel'stand its position. fl'l'ely
<br />numits t lwt, Congrcss has t he power to rOIl\'cy to t.he :--;t.:ltt~s :Ill of its
<br />interest ill t.he lI11i\ppropri:l(cd water which the Federal GO\"Cl'nmellt
<br />claims to O\\.n, wit.h tile eXL'CptioH of its ri:Jhts IIndcr the COlllnWl'ce
<br />clnllse. l{llj., ~:lYS tIle .Tllstieo ])Pll:lrt.mcnt, (;ollgrcss lIas Ho\'el' done
<br />so :llId unt.il it dOL'S tbe tlll:1ppropriatc(l \,":ltl~l~ :ll'e still propert.y of
<br />tho F'cdl'rnl (l-()\'CI'I1Il1ellt, :1Ild for the Congl'rss to pl'o\.ide t 11:1 t. the use
<br />of j hat. propL'l't..y shall he in nct'onlanee with St:lte la w is an 11IlCOIl-
<br />stitutional dcl('g'atioll of eongn-'ssional aut.hority and that Congress
<br />nlHI COllgl'C'SS :dolle Ilmsf, pl'C'scribe the rules of llse.21
<br />It lIlay he t-rite to ,ay that. "."ter is the lifeblood of Ow Western
<br />St:lIes, :\'t~t wit.hout. it the economy ,,"ould wither and die. COllse-
<br />qUl'lltly, the illj{~n~st. c:f thrse St:ltcs in tlie watrr resollrce is prob:lbly
<br />1>n I';l11l01lIll". and SupCrIor to :IllY other.
<br />The Federal Goyprtllllellt. <11:::0 hilS a grcat st:dw in the ,,'uter re-
<br />source de\"cloplllellt of the 'Vrst. It has:lIl illtl~rl"st in 'Water cl('\"clop-
<br />ment. for t.he lISC or its O\\"n propert.ies, illdlHling the public lands. It
<br />lws const.l'ude,(I gl.'el\t dall\S, reservoil"S, :1]1(1 irri_~.at.ioJl systems to pro-
<br />vide water for pl'l\"ntc and pHIllie m:,ers other tl1:lIl tllt~ FC'deral Gov-
<br />ernment.. The nntional interest and the Fl'Cler:l1 ill\"cstment. in the
<br />'Vost just.ify a g-reat interest on the part of the Federal Government
<br />in t.he cOllseryation nnd de\'elopmcnt of the water resourcE':.
<br />nut the Had fact is th:lt. both the States "nd the Federal (~oYernment
<br />must look to t.l.le same water resources for tllcir watcr supply.
<br />It S('CIllS obnolls that t.ile use of t,\,"o SYStCIl1S of wah'.I' IHw-onc for
<br />the St.ates anti their citizens and one f,),' the Fe,leral GO\'el'llment-
<br />nIl pertaining to the same water snpply, is impnldical and can leau
<br />only to cont.royersy, confusion, and c1wos,
<br />It. is also oll\'ious that if t.he Federal Goyel'lllllent has yested w:lter
<br />rights as it result of t.he wit.hdrawal or resen.at.ion of public l:1nd
<br />from snle_ and entry, t.here is little if any water left in most of t.he
<br />'Western ~[ates to which t.itle to the use t.hereof can be establiHhed
<br />for future cle,-elopment by appropriat.ion under St.ate law, The tit.le
<br />.llas already vested in the Federal Go\-ernmcnt. The millions of acres
<br />of land that are in a withdrnwn or reserved status includes the na-
<br />ti~mnl forest, th.e, nation~l parks, power site "ithdl';\wals, oil shale
<br />.wIthdrawals, m]htary WIthdrawals, nnd many others. As of June
<br />30, 1055, 23,243,000 oeres of bncl in Colorado alone were in a with-
<br />. dra wn or reserved status.
<br />,1.'he States, th~ir politie:ll subdiyisions and their citizens are in a
<br />difficult pOSItIOn mdeed when t.hey init.iate wllter projects in t.he 'faee
<br />
<br />:Ill Art. IV, gec. 3. PC'rlcrnl Con9t1tutloD,
<br />n lIt"'nr1ngll OD S. 8U3, 84th COD!:., IiUpro., p. ::!M,
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