OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
GROYERSELLERS
Al-rORNEY
GENERAL
Honorable Oeorge U. Car, H. D.
Stats flealth Offioer
Texas Stat0 Bow4 of Re8lth
Au8tl.n, Texas
Dear Dr. Coxr opitioar m. O-6980
we quote fFom youF lstter 0
follovs~
Y%f8 DItpartrtm
an axtansZve malu48 aamt
Febexd fumla under the ln war Am88
cowls&a of
drdningandf
MUtl'iCt8 0V.b
in thl8 CMIUC
DlatTZot Ilo.
tcher tithln the dls-
88 h8ve 8een the baneflte
o cooperat. furtbm,svith
p~oentbountirylims
ch8mb8r cu cmrce
entlm Ams. fa order th8t this
cure the greata8t baneflt by vny of'
2. Pmeedum to follow in enlarging
drainqg DL8trlot no. @j by taking in ccmtiguoca ammo.
“a. &30a the pl'88CUit draIna@ blf @Ve th8
dlvrinage district suthority to rpend money on mosquito
Hon. 040. u. Cox - Page 2
control, int:lur!ingsuch itsma as draining of st8g-
nsnt waters, filling of otsgn8nt ponds, and appli-
cation of lervfctdee or Lnmcticides.
"3. Can -~ralnage funda be used for the
pepsent of pereonnel to apply such laIVicld88 or In-
aectlclden, and in the purchase al such equipment
a8 is necearrry for mosquito control work.
"4. If the drainage Qlatrlct does not have
the authority to 8pend a portion of their funds fov
lnsectlci*ea 8nd the paynwnt ot psrsomel to apply
the InsactIcIdes end the purchase of equlpaent ne-
cessary for their Ippllcetion, vould you give ua the
legal proce?ure nece88ory to include the80 pover8 ln
the dMlMge di8t: Iot.R
We fin* PO 8tatute empowerIng a clrairuge QIltCICt
to enlame It8 boundwIe8,. mad In the absence of 8UCh legl8lative
authorization, It 18 the opinion of this depart~nt that a
~lralnege district c8mot be enlarged.
The tOllOVlrrg UII&PliDel pOrtIOn Of 8tAtUt88
bear Upcal yOUr DeCOnd and t.hiX’d qUe8tIOA8:
&‘tiChJ &g8, &tlllM’S htlOt&ted cid.1 SktUte8,
1925 -
“A petition shall flrrt be pmaented to
the Cowt signed by tventy-five of the freehold
resident taxpayer In the propoeed 'llatrlct, or If
there are lesa than teventj-five euoh citlaenr tbm
by One-third thereOf, Who88 la.1&?8may be arfected
thereby, praying for the establlnhmnt of e drainage
4lstrIct, em? uettlng forth the neceseltg, public
utllite end feaslbillty and prOpO8ed boundaries
them0r, and Aeslgnating a name for such district,
which shall include the nana oi the county."
Article 8101 -
"On the day set for the hmrlng, any pemon
whose lmxl would be tifected by the creation of said
district may appear before said Court 8nd contest
the creation oi such district or contend for ita cma-
tion, and may ofPer testimony to show that the district
I
Hon. 080. W. C,OX - Pegs 3
Is or Ie not nec4mmy, and would or woula not bo
of Public utility. either afbnltery. 8grlcUturel or
othervtse, aml that the crestlon of euch dlatrlct
V0d.d or would not be fO88ibl4 or prectlcable,"
Article 81% -
“At th nem tlm that tsxea mw levier1 to
rset that bonrted lndebtednere, the Court shell cau8e
to be assessed end collected tam8 upon all pro-
Derty In tlw dlstrlot, vhether r4a1, mt’8olu1 or
othmvlcte, suffiolent to selntain, keep In ropalr,
and to prssmve the iaprOV~paSAt.8 in the aiteict. end
to pay 811 legnl, jucrt end levful debts, dewsuds and
Obligetlon8 sgtitnst such dI8triCt. Such levy aha
nevar, In any one year, exceed one-h8lf of one per
Cent Of the total 888eaMd V@lWtiW Of such dim-
trict for such yem~. Such tsxea when 40 collected
8b811 b4 placed In the canatructlon and maIntenanc4
fund."
YOUl’ SSCOnd 8lld third QW8tiOKlS tUl%l OZl the piVOt6d
quasltion of vhether or not the 8pretkdim of lWVfCide8 8nd In-
84CtiCidea for MsqUitO CO&ItXWl com4B Vithin th4 purpoaea fOP
vNch dMiMge di8tFlot8 are ~OXVNCI.
In determining vhat are the plrpb848 for which 0
dirine&e district Is fom88d. ve look to the expmss;Ion OX the
bt~i8bltUFO en fOUAd Ill the fOP4gOing 8tEitUttl8. Article 8101
ap8cifIoally rsntIQns sanitation 88 one O? the4 that
tXXKtitiOll8
influenae th4 omation of a draInage di8triot. Ueb8t8r'8 ddfi-
nition of "sanikry* is ee follows:
"WnItary -- of or pertaining to health:
fOl' ol' P4‘leting t0 th4 pP8~4i'Veti~ OF F48tolWtioX3
of health; occupied vlth mee8ucoi~ or equ&pnsnt for
improv3.q conditions that inflwnce bsalth; free
fraa or effective innpreventIng or checking egenclar
injurious to health.
Under the ha8Mng of "Pu~0686" Of draiM&e dlotrlcte
ve f'lnd in 15 Texea Jurbqmudence, pa8e 722, the follow atete-
mentr
851
lion. oao. iv. COX- 2age 4
wDralnaae dietriot+ are authoriaed and
eoooure&ed in the Interest of nood hurrbandry,ot
the public health, of the advanoosent of the
general urbulldlnRof the oountrp, antithe resouina
of wrote portione of leads aad their being oada
to aerfo uuelul and profitable purp0806.*
Aelferson County Drulnago Dlstrlot T. YoFmddIn,
(oi~ii rppea3) 891 3.~. 3mt, ariirtm (00~. ~pp.)
4 s. if. (i!)33.
Justl0e Roe8e of the Oalverton Court OS
Girl1 Appeal8 In the dale of Umrton Oounty DraInago Diatxiot
Htghee.149 9. Y. SSl,(Wrlt of Error refused by th
V'II.
Yuprolaocourt) r*ltlr
wIt wIl1 be obmrrsd that romthlng elm
alter& Into the queotloa or the or*ation or auoh
dlstrlots tOan the bfmrlt to or e~aaoeaent or the
value of the land8 In the biiWlt% The oouxt suet
find that the drainage will 'be ooAdUoiV0 to the
pub110 health or be IIpilbllobenailt or utility',
aa a prtmequlrltrt0 the or6atlon or the di6txlat.
*i&astiOneof pub110 haalth aAd general
pub110 bumlit and utility am to be oonrultcrd in
tb~corratlon.of a. drainage amri0t. an& unqua~tlon-
ably these arc) matter8 of (prwt ii&portaAoo.m
Zt 1s a matter of common k~owla4$@ that
drainage program require maay years of dsvelop~lent, and that
on4 or the main purposes of a Qralnap 6IetrIoQ Ir to OOID-
pletaly Qreln the dlatriot area of all standing water therrby
Improving the lend and ellzinatlnghazarda to the pub110
health. Fending the fulfillzient of theee objeotivob, the
distrlot necaeaarilyhas to resort to t&aporary ~6aaure11to
alletlato uwhole6io5eoondltion8 in the U!%WoiOp4d areaa.
These temporarymaanuras address tkemelver~ to tka sound
dlatsrstion of the draIaage ammlssionere in the dIatxlot.
lf, in their discretion, the caxulesionarabelieve that the
draining of stagnant waters, the rllllng or at&want r.ondr,
and tt1.a esraadlligof larviaidesend IussctioIdc8should be
as2
BOA.OkO.%. 00X - Pa@I b
perform6iQa6 Itclaeital to the riaal oonrplstloa or the
drainage program and la aid thareof,than10 ooaolude #at
an expendituretor auoh pirposo~, Incl.udlngthe necraaary
~X~4A6tV3or psrroncel and 0quIprn0at,w0ula b0 laWrt+.
In rim or the foregoing Otatuteo and authQritIe8,
it 18 thopopinioa0r thir aepartmsnt that your rroone and
thlrtl quebtionr rh0ula be answered ia the arrirm8tire. Thr
dl.spoe3ltlon of these que8tlonr randOr unnOoO*raryen dmwer
to your la8t question.
Yours rexy txuly,