: Oi=l=ICE OF TIhE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Xonorsbl~ John i’:..
Yritohett, Pale 2 ..
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:
Doyd, 116 Tsx. 02, 2S6 SIC':45S; Conferonco opinion
785; t,Tott~v.
to Ucn. Si,11.Gravoo, dntcd Seztmber 10, 1914; Artialo 7467, _ :
?I.-
c. 6, .:;
khc proviso cls,uso03 Scotion 16 of the l%&act
(Acts 19:17,35th Leg,, R. S,, Ch. OQ, H, R, 257) readn as
f 011oaY0
:
" ,providod,however, that nothing In this
soo-tl~fi & in this Act ahnll affect or rostriot
th8 right of any p?rson ox- poroono, OWAing hin%S
in Chi.6Stoto to con3tmct cn his Gm proL;ertgany
da or recorvoir which wul.% tipound or oontain
10s~ than flvc hund?e% acre-feet bf lrnter.lt
In an opinion d&3% Au.pst 25* 1917 (Conftwcme
Opinion !W. lS12), HonorablcjG. B. S~eilloyheld l&t the
ahove CjnGtCd clause rcn-elygives to u parson owzin~ Ian& the
right to comtruot such due oy rescrvolrwithout submitti32
his plans to t&c BGtZd oZ'Ftitc~"Lnsinoorn for approval and
tht-tttha olouso does not &.re such person the right to use,
vithpiitpmilt, the nator ixpoundod by such im or reservoir
or to in);oundund hold in such reservoir c;utcrasedad by
witor ~uso:-s,ka~ixq a prior ri@t. mm
This 02it;ion ugain
adopted imd.s>provodon ILayS, 1940 by the promnt Attmmoy
Gonerol of Ikmr,.
In 1925 the IAginlnturtic!!cndedtho 1917 aot (Auts'
1925, 59th LOS,, ,R.S., Ch. 135, S. B. 3491. Section 16 of
the 1917 act ms amnded and tho yrovisotrssomtttod from tho
amndmxt, Section 5 of ths amndutory tct rseds t-6 follov?s:
. "SCO. 5. Any one my cbktruot on his oxn
proparty a.dnn and rcsorvoir to iwgound or contain
not,to cxcood t&o kundrc~dnnd fifty scro feet of
Mter without the nccesaity of socurinG a ;-erz?it
TIiFxZfor.~*
(Ezphasl.3supplied)
3, addressedto the km-% of
Tn our Opinion ITo.O-l.99
S.kt~r iZni:lncors,no held t!latSection
5, codified by Vsrhr;n
CG i\rtiOl.(? CSGOR, v.nr bccauno of the irrecon-
unconstitutidnzL
0ilcbl.caotilict b~twen the caRtj.onof the wzt, ::hiohpro-
vided thet one my comtruct "12iicmor r0aervoi~~to contain
could not effect the rwsdl of the m~rovi50of Seotion ie of
1917 act, and also thot the smikrzcnt.of Scotion
the : 18 did
not repeal ths prov3.30. .
-
In 1941 the 47th Logfsl.etura
passed Eouco-??$llEo.
69. So&ion 1 of the b&U is qu0ted.w fol1om~:
. %Scction2. That Section 5, Chapter 136,.Aats
. sofa
the li%@IlnrsIzo.?sion
of th6 Thirt:i-ninth
Lc&3-
. ....
Iuture bo and the same ia hemby amtided so as to
he??c?aftcr
mod us foliosJor
?Section 5. Any one nay oonstruot on his own
pr0.cort.y
a’Em and reservoir to j.npour,d ox aoztain.
a
Aat to GxOeQd fift y (50) acre-fcot of mter for
d~cmstic and I vcstoch pur~osca w!.t?loutthe nccnrM.ty
s soc~ri~ a ??mlzil; ttx3rafor.”&iiph3ia suppppliai)
,. At Pirut Slcnce om cm see a satiod*diffo2enoc
batweoa.this saotion cn t!m OUGhand wit? the proviso of the
1911 act and the attezpttid‘mendnest on the OthGr hand bc-
sides tho roduotion In acre-feat. %lC$ UbOVO quoted B33tiOn
not only covers t!lacoaatiruotionof a dnc, QE do the otinsrtwo
scixiiorproviaidns,but it also spaoiflen tka use to ~vhichthe
nator Ray be put. XOUSO Bill.63 s~oci.ficellg provides teat
a p?rwn nay calatxuct a do=!on hin 017A property l’~iot to
ezoeod fifty (50) acre-factof wster rcr dm6stLo~and livestock
I?ITKXW~~
without the necessity of necuxin,;: a -emit ttwrefor.‘!
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EJonorabloJohn \S.TMtohett, PO&3 4' -.
.
.
But~ovan c,oxoconvincZAg thin the phrcaeolo&y ezJ-
ployed'by the.Le&.elnturois the~sgecificntiouof the UOOD
1ts01s. %b *uotefrcn the Sxedley oplnlon (Couferon9o
... @pin-
ion Jcor1BlE7 86 follo*.v5r ::.
9,
"The provi5foA~in vCeaffon18 5ny5 nothing what-
wer &out .th
tdcing or uning of water, acd it would
not 'bo a rcasomblo coA5truotioAof it to aoncludo
tknt it WE iAttendedto give to ouch person l&e right,
wIthout pm&t, to use or divertthe Vator tipouAded
by tA0.da!Lor reservoir."
Euob:5re Aot the ocnditloAs here+ The bill uudor
~oonoide~eticnoovcrs Aot only the constructicaOS tJ;edez~or
renarvoir, but also tha uses to which tJlowater £ed my
ho put. B,e ubov& quotod pmxgraph stated convexsely55 to
that nince the u50 of the mtcr la covered by the
the cSffeo.G
“bill, it would he a'reascnccble ooristruationto aonolude that
it ~5s .iAi;cndod
to give the 1andowAer tho right, u~it-hout
pox-
mit, to use we.tcr.impounded by the dam, S%ch 5.5the construc-
tion whio:h%,-e
plaoo on the bill,
A.9wo have horotoforementioned, it was hold in . *
Opinion 1~0. O-1993 thet the proviso in Eactica 16 OS tJx?1917
aot vat8otill in force end 6SSoet. It is mnifost th.attho
tams. of the 1941 5ot are at vorianoo withthose of 5uoh pr,o-
vieo. It must, therofore.-o be determinedwhether suchproviso~
io rfipealed aot. w;‘o QUOtO the? fc;llOlYiA~ fl?Xl
by tJm -Ititer
Opinion MO. 0-1933:
Vho mption of tJx31925 Act exprooses a
&onoral purpo50, aa icniorited b;rthe uAd%rsOoriAf;;
it n.emosSection 16 of the 1917 Aot a5 clloOS thoco
amended, end 60tS out t!lo5ubjOot Eattar OS the
mondxent in dotail. The cnptiou.aoao not otate
~thnt Eection 16'3.0expra5el.y ropee!cd; v&other it
WQS ao intendedmust bo dotemined boS+osoyour
sooojndgucetion oan be correctly ensrierod. sol+
tion 5, properly construed, oovcre-the c&me sub-
jcot ma.tixr as the. proviso of section 16. ;q-
parontlp, the Lo&&2turo intcnd.ad that S5otion
5 sJm~l& Cake the place of tho provQo, oAd that
it olxmld repesl thnt xuch of Gcotion 16, by vi.X-
tuo'OS ;;'ecticn 7$. the ro-p:nlill~ ollmm or the
1923 Act,
.
:
.,
HonorableJohn 1% Ptitohett; P&g3 5
*SeotIon 5 being void, it aonnot hevc the
tho proviso. YC is 0 nullity
effect of ~ro;rcnling
end bee no rzoroelfeot t.)Lhn
iT it,bud nevtx! bcoa
ConcolidstmIlJ;lr\omzlterev. KA.rbyLUG-
bp:?%: (Corn.;qp.) 237 5.X. 703 (roviol;~ 250
&\Y. 476)1 Culberson V. &hfcrd,*118 5%)~.431, :?- ~,
18 8.X. (20) sE5, sa Tl?x.Jur. 12.5;Ldwia' 3utb.e%+
lnAd.r)t.aiutory
:ConstrWti6q Seo. 245~ Tarshall
Y. State. 62 Crie. RG_rr117, 13s 6.W. 759; * .”
It is to be noted t&t &ction 6 Is f&!&r to l&G
provlocl clauo of section 16 .int;Jmtboth prod& caly for .
thG oonstruotionof O.dcm 8nd sey cothillgebiut the UXI of the
iiqsUn&d mterr Therefcre, ES it w’cis
stated in Opiniun Xo.
o-1993,.appareAtlgit was the 10&31etive iAtPAt th&t Gsotion 6
should lx&a the plGce c& the prcvieo 3ln*xe, azd t.k;at it cr!wuld
rep& thtt muoh of YGctiorr16 by Firtuc of Eeotioa 7 of the
LO25 aot, the repealing clausae.
Ro~evcr, the~lP41 aot 1s F-O:%limited in its wording.
ft provides thnt one m~apoonstruct on his pro::ertga d&m nad
rcs&w?ir to impound orecontain not to cxcbw~fifiy awe-feet--
for &xtio a~_d_l_iveatookgurnoaos without the neocstjityof
seourirg a per&t therefor. Not oniy Is tl;ereG reduction ia
the nwbor bS GGrG-SGet, but tk-rs IS also d limftutic~ on
the.usc:s$0 which the wter mey be jxt, In other wxdo, tl;e
~only'situoticm where the terms of tk? 1941 act apply 16
where iAn dem and raservofr a~ to'.jmpouOd.zot I-iore
than
fifty (ClO]ooro-feet of wetor and'the witGr is to be usod
021~ for dmaetio and livoetock purposes. GGcJ3tus act
ropeal thG provisa Clause of Eectlon 16, or 000s It wrely
limit l.t8acops @e are inclined to the latter v5.G~.
There,is no prokaio~ in tho 1941 act s~aoificolly
xep0nliingeny other uot or statute, nor is t!xro e general
rGgco.Xin5clnc~e, licw~ovor,w%ethGr the 1941 act is considered
elcre, v;ithno $rovision relating to the r6>GnJ.of fczmor
lawo, OS \shetJier
it itrco2sid~rec?cs t.&ing the pl~ao id Sac-
tion 5 of thy 1926 (XntkXn&tioA&~0. ?I,2~~.CO. VI ~XGend,
&P., 1015, 101 sj.w. !x4), so tkEt the goneral repeal-
ci;cr;
in8 olocso of the 1925 &ct would c~ply, thG rcti,atis ;kG
8R!!z
; that is, prior 5intut~cr;
co rcpwilod to the ei;tcAtof
theeconrliot 0nl.y. wddia ot cl v. 'i‘crrsll,I.01Tcxou 574,
110 S.X. 4ixJ
) Dcrry v. Etate, im 8.K. 026; Pt.ir~hillv.
steto, 138 S.h. 759.
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Honoxchlo J&n 8. Pritdhott, Page 6
~IionomblcJohn 5. .Frltchett,?asc 7 .' '.
. .
'. '.
Ylolatlon* Xf the water is wed for a &if&rent purpose, or if _'
the damllppoundocore thw. fifty (50) acre-feet and lose tkaa
'fivehundred (500) sore-feet, the lendmmor car3tot.+plly
USC the!public waters iq:oundcd tha;eby until he 6ccprcs e
ponriitfrorc,
thq ?kcrd of Xator En&mm?, If he UYCS such
water l:ithoutu pernit, thm ha lo vJ.olotinSthe law, end he r,ry
bo proscouted. Artiolo 75x0, Xovisod CivS1 Statcteo, nr.dAxrticlo
830, Penal Code. also ponolties could bo reoovarod unde::
Artiolas 752l.and 7522, Eevised Civil Statutes. Without passing
on the F,cmMon of whothor the Le@lature could impose the duty
of enforcJ.rqj
thcsc articles o:lthe &tornzp General, it is suf-
ficimt to stnte tlintIt hai not done so. ZoreZoro, the loaf11
prosecuti~ officers two char&d with the enforao::ont oilmm.
&rticle Y, Strction21, Coustitutlonol .?oxas;~rticl.va25-32,
Codo of CricrinclProcedum; J-5'i'ox.Yur. 400.
yicr
trust that t?&eforo~oi~ dl~cusslc~~setisfac-
tor5.ly ansmz3 tho questions irrv:hichyou are intcrcet;ed.
Glenn R, Lewiio
AsGistant
APPXVEGAUG 21, 194%
ATTORNZYGXKEHAL OF 'i'E;XAS