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<br />20 <br /> <br />DEOISIONS PERTINENT TO PROPOSED WATElR RIGHTS ACT <br /> <br />DECJS[ONS PERTINENT TO PROPOSED WATER RIGHTS Am' <br /> <br />21 <br /> <br />I <br />I <br /> <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), <br /> <br />2. Ickes v, Po," (300 U. 5, 82 (1937)): Ickes' predecessor, Secret:try <br /> <br />of the Interior Wilbur, issucd not.ices with rcspcct to the Sunnyside <br /> <br />unit of the Yakima Reclamation project whicb if enforced by Secre- <br /> <br />tary Ickcs wbicb bave diminisbed tbe vested water rigbts of Fox and <br /> <br />oIhers. (See 85 F, 2d 294, 295.) The sole question was whether the <br /> <br />United States was an indispensable party defendant. The answer <br /> <br />\ <br /> <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 <br />