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<br />DEOISIONS PERTINENT TO PROPOSED WATElR RIGHTS ACT
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<br />DECJS[ONS PERTINENT TO PROPOSED WATER RIGHTS Am'
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<br />For t.he light. which it will rcficct upon the mcalljll~ and scope of that provision
<br />and it.s ht~:lrillg upon t.he pre~cnt CJlll~:"lt.il)ll, it j:jo' wt~1I to p:lU:'iC at this point to
<br />cOIl~i{jt~r the l.hen-l~xbtil1g; l'iilunl.iol\ wit.ll 1'l'~P(~ct. to land mill watcr rij.!;ht.... in t.he
<br />Slates awl krrilorir:s n:lJliccl. Th(~~c Sl:ltt's :~lId tcrrit.orii:s eOlllpri.:':i(,u t.ile western
<br />thin! of t.ile united :;t:ltc:=;-a \'ast empire ill extent, bllt. foit.ill :,;parsl'ly settled.
<br />From n Hlle cast. of t11(~ Itocky J\loll11taillS ahl\O~t to t.he l':lcilic Oecan, ami from
<br />the Canadinn border to the llOundn.ry of i\lexico-an nrc~ j..!;f(:nt(~r tluLn that of the
<br />Orig:ill:ll Thirtet'n StatC's-tbc lam.ls capnblc of rcdcmpl inll, ill the main, con-
<br />15tituu:rl a desert, impossible of agricult.ural \I~e without mlifieial irri~fltioll.
<br />In the hCRilluing, thfl ta:-;k of rccl:timilll-( thb art':~ Wfl.S Ip.ft. to the ulIaided ('[Torts
<br />of the people who fOIlIld their WfLY by painful 0lfort to it.s ill!l(\.spitalJle solit\ldes.
<br />Thc!-;c w('~t(;rn piollccr::;, ell1ui::J.t.inj.{ tile :-;pirit of so !I1llllY oihers who had gone
<br />before them ill silllibr \"ellt\ln'~, faced the <lWkult proolelll of wrC'sting- a living
<br />and creating: homes froll1 the rflW el(:mcllt~ fl.bout t.hf\lll, and t.iLre\\' down the ga.ge
<br />of battle to the forces of nature. With ilrlpcrfcd t.oo!:;, they huilt d:llll!,;, cxca\'ated
<br />canal:-:, ("onstrllell'(\ ditches, plowed and culti\'Hted the ::;oili nile! t.T!lllsformed dry
<br />. and d(:~ol:1.te laruhi illto g-recn fieh.Js and lenfy on.'hards. Il the ::;ueCI:S::; of tha.t
<br />effurt, the gencT31 Go\"('rnment ibdf was /-(reatly com'crncd-not only because,
<br />as owner, it. W:I::; charged through COI1~rp.,;s with t.hc duty of di::iposillg of the la.nds,
<br />hut he(';lu:,e the ~C'tt.lprncnt ::\lld de\'elopmcllt of the eOllntry in whieh thc lands
<br />Iny was highl)" dc::;iraulc.
<br />To t.1H'sC ("luis, prior to the summer of 1877, COl1gress hnd pa!';.'>N] the mll\lll~
<br />Inws., the hom('sh'~ld and pr~emption laws. and nnn.lly, the Desert Ln.nd Aet. It
<br />hact ellcouragC'd and nssisted hy m[lkilll; largi~ land gml1ts t.o aid th,~ building of
<br />the Paciflc railro:1ds and in m:l.tl)" ot.her ways. the redemption of this immcnse
<br />landed est.ate, That body thorou;::hly understood that an enforcement of the
<br />common-l:1.w nile, by grt'~l.t.!y retardinp: if not fOl.biddin~ the di\.cr!';ioll of W:1ters
<br />from their aC"c\lstomcd channels, "ould disastrollsl)' alfect the policy of dividing
<br />the public domai:l iuto small holdings and elreet.in~ their distribllt.loll among
<br />illnllmcr~lblc s(~t.th::rs. III re~pect of t,hc an'fI. cmbracccl hy the des(:rt.~land States,
<br />with the exception of n. C"omparativcl.\" lIarTo\\' !-it.rip along t.he Pacific seaboard, it
<br />had bccome evidt:nt to COil gress, :l.S it had to the inhabitfltlts) that the future
<br />growth al1d well being: of tlw entire f('g:ion depended upon a complete adherence
<br />to the rule of appropriat ion for fl heneficial llse as t.he exclllsive eriterioll of thc
<br />right to the u!'i~ of wat.er. The strC'ams alld other SOllrces of sllpply from which.
<br />thig wah'r mu!;t cOllle were sp.Jlarated from 01le anot.her by wine st.retches of pnrched
<br />and barren brill which Ilf~ver cOllld be macIc t.o produce :q:~ricllltllr;ll croDs except'
<br />by the trnllsmission of \\ater for long dist:1llces ;lnd its entire consumption in the
<br />proces~C's of irription. l\c('l'ssarHy, t.hat. involved the complete sllbordillution of
<br />the comInoll-law doctrine of riparian rights to t.h:1t of appropriation. And this
<br />~lIhst.it\ltion of the rule of :J.ppropri:u.ion for that of the common htw was to have
<br />mOlUclltous consequencef'. It bccame the dl'tr:rmilling factor ill tILe long stfllp;gle
<br />to exp\lllge from our "oC"ahuhlry the Il'gelld "Gff~at ,\mericnll De,'scrt," which wus
<br />sprcud ill large let.ters acr08S the fllce of the old maps of t.he F1\r West.
<br />In the l;hht of the fore~oillg considerations, the Desert Lal1d Act wn~ passed,
<br />and in their li~ltt it Illll~t no\\" be eOl1stflll'(l. By its terms, Tlot ollly all sllrplus
<br />wutcr o\'(~r ullclnbo\"c s11ch n~ might \)1) a.ppropriated and used by t.he des(:rt-land .
<br />entrymen, but "the '\':1ter of ;llllakes, rivers, and other sources of water supply
<br />upon the public lands l.lnd not navigable" were to remain "free for the appro-
<br />priution and use of the public for irri~:ltioll, milling, find manufacturing: purposes."
<br />If thi!i language is to be ghell its n:l.tllr:1.11lleanillg, and "e see IlO rell::;Oll why it
<br />Bhoulcl not, it clTectccl fl S(~\"('l"lLnee of all wntcrs upon l.he pllhlie domain, not'
<br />therdofon: appl"Opriatl.d, frolll t..hl~ I:uul i{~df. From that. prelllibc) it. follows that
<br />a paknt i:':sllcd thcreaft.cr for land:,; ill a dC::icrt.lallCl St:l.te or Territ.ory, under any
<br />of tlL~ l:lI1dln\\'s of 1 he UlLiterl :->tatt.8) c:lrri{~d with it., of it::i own force, no cornmon-
<br />law right to the water 1l0\\ ill!; through or bordering upon the lands cOI1\'eyed.
<br />"'hile this court thus far hus not found it necessary to determine that precise
<br />qnest.ion, its words, so fll.r llS they ~n, tcnd strollgly to support the conclusion
<br />which we have suggested (pp. 154-158),
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<br />2. Ickes v, Po," (300 U. 5, 82 (1937)): Ickes' predecessor, Secret:try
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<br />of the Interior Wilbur, issucd not.ices with rcspcct to the Sunnyside
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<br />unit of the Yakima Reclamation project whicb if enforced by Secre-
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<br />tary Ickcs wbicb bave diminisbed tbe vested water rigbts of Fox and
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<br />oIhers. (See 85 F, 2d 294, 295.) The sole question was whether the
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<br />United States was an indispensable party defendant. The answer
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<br />to this qucstion depended on tbe n:tture of tbe orcler. S:tid Justice
<br />SutllCr!:l.lHl:
<br />The ~Ilits do !lot seek specific pcrformnllcc of any COlJtr:lct. TILey are b:-ULlght
<br />to l:lLjoil1 tilt. Se(~rd:1.ry of t.he Interior from el1fol"eing :In order, the wron:;(ul
<br />elfed of which will he to deprive re~polld(:llt!:i of yc...;tl'd prupert.y rigllts nOlo Oldy
<br />acquired uJld~r (:onj!;res~iollal acts, i)t;Ltel:l.ws, llnd C:u\"urlLl1lCllt. contr;lels, I.Hlt.
<br />sdtlerl and determined l>y his predecessors in olflee. That. :-ouch suit;; m:l.\. be
<br />maint;\illed without the prescllce of t.he Ullited Stfltcs h:.r.s been establi::;hed by
<br />mallY (h.;('i:.'dons uf this court 'i" ot: *.
<br />Tlw fad.nnl sit.uat.ion giyillJ,r rise to t!Ji~ lir.iglll.irlll is important.
<br />III H)()() t.Il(~ Secrck\.r.r of lllt-criol' approved the SUllllysid() unit. of the
<br />Yn,killl.:l projt:l".tJ and PUl'dl:k;('d from l.be \Ya~hillgton Irrig:tLi()rl Co.
<br />t.he SlIllllysidp C:\.llnland wa.ter npproprin,tiolls (:Ulllll'cl.ed therewith.
<br />1r1('11Id('1I ill j.\1C nr.w pl'Ojrct wcre arid bnds lat.er lwcplircd hy Fox.
<br />The: SlIl:ll\'::.;idc \\:riller USPl"S ..:\s::i(leia.t.j01l was ol'~;tlliz('d. Hs COlltl"ltct
<br />with t.lw' SOel'd.:lI'Y, among" ol.lIei' things, I'l'cf11il'cd that, mcmbers
<br />uL:Cjl.lirc right.s to obt:lin \nl.tcr as soon llS tlw proj('ct, w:ts compldccl,
<br />nnd il. JH"H.jded t.hat t.1H'sp. rights therl'll.ftC'l' sh01l1d continue to be.
<br />UpplII.tC'llant to t.he desi~nid.(:d lnnds (p. SO). Consirl!cf.ion dlitrg('s
<br />wcrc $!i2 per acrp, il.lld t.IIC Fox lands wcre allotted 4.84 :lcre-fel~t. of
<br />Wltt.er ns the qllall tit,Y Jlec('ssfl.ry for beneficial find sllcccssflll iJ'rig:1.t.ion.
<br />III IQI4, t.11(' Sperctary issued not.ice t.hn.t t.hrrc wOllld be no inercfl.sc in
<br />constrllct.ion chnrgcs, Under the l:tw, they tborer.fler could !lot be
<br />inercnsrd except. by 11grcclllcnt (D, 91).
<br />In 1030 the Commissiolt('f of Rcclnlllot.ion desired to constrnct the
<br />Cle EluIn Reservoir ond finding t.ho t the cost would exceed t.he return
<br />by $1 million, he nrbitrnrily chnrgcd t.llflt SUIll t.o thc Sunnyside ullit.
<br />Fox, flnd nt.hers, flllrgcd thnt for the purpose of coercing water users
<br />to ng-rcC' t.o pH.). this cost, thc Secret.nry gHYC public. notice find issucd
<br />Bll onkl' limit.ing them to 3 flere-feet of wntC'r. This, they filiC"g'l'd,
<br />WfiS insufijeicnt filld wonld ClltlSe in.cpnn1blc loss nnd dl111lnge. They
<br />asked thnt tllC order be 'I" nCI1t<:d. The Secretorv conknded that
<br />becouse t.hc Government divcnco, storeu, find disirilHltl'd t.he Willer
<br />it tllcl"rb.v I1cquired o\\.nership of th(1.t \\'fl.kr. The Suprl'lllc Conrt
<br />rcjec.trd this contention. Appropri:l.tions, under t.ile llccl:l.nI/ltion
<br />Act, it s:1id 'n'l"C nUHle not for the Goycrnmellt but, fnr the usc of the
<br />landowllers, find b~.. the terms of thllt law, as ".l'lll1s \V:1shin!!t.on law
<br />and of t.lll~ c;o!ltr8.~t,. the water rigbts bCCil.me die property of the lund-
<br />owners, IV II 011:.' dIstmet from (.be property of the GO\"Cl'Ilmcnt in tbe
<br />irrigflt.ion works. The Act.ion of the Seerct.fl.ry beillg' wl'ongflll and
<br />therefore. personal, the United SUltCS \\"f1.S not fill indi"pellsl\blc p:lrly
<br />to t.lle SIIlt.
<br />5nid tho Court;
<br />... * >10 Althollt.::h the Government diverkd, stored, :1.nd distrill1lt{'(l tlw w~ter
<br />the eontp.llti(lIl of pt'1.ition(~r that thereby ownership of the wnter or water rip;ht~
<br />became v'~.'itcd in the UlLited Sta.tes is not 'well founded. Appropri:l.tion was
<br />mucic not for the lIse.of tl](~ Governlllent, but, llIHler the ltedalllalion Ad, for the
<br />ul:ie of the hndo\\"llet"s; :llld by the tcrlll:; of the hw und of the contract already
<br />referrc(l to) the water rit-;hts became the property of the Iando\\.ners, whoHv
<br />distinct from t.he propcrt.r right of the Government in t~1e irriA":l.tion works;
<br />Compare Murphy v. j\err (Fed. 5:~nJ 5.14) 545). The Govcrnment was allfl re-
<br />mflillcd simply fl. carrier and distributor of the water (ibirl.), with the ri,.,.ht to
<br />rcceivc the gums stipllhted in the coutr::lct.s ns rl~jll1b\Jr,;('mcllts for the c~o,;t of
<br />construction and annual charges for operation and maintenance of tht:: works.
<br />As sccurit.y therefor, it W:lS provided tha.t thc Government shOllld ha.\.e u lien upon
<br />the lands and the W:.l.ter rights appurten:lnt thereto-a provision which in ilseU
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