OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
xoerdof mtor xngln8.n
Austin, bus
Dear Mr. Sturrook:
its tributar-
for all u8oe iraept hjdrooSsotri0 power use,
prior to like wet3 or the Upper coloreao Rirer
Authority, esrumlng the letter prooerbe wlth
its developaunt for irrigation and dorneetio
use acoording to state weter lawn.
*In order that wo may furnish the Bureau
or Reolenetlon with en opinion or tbr Lspl
Department or this State, we rWpaotSnl.ly PO-
queet youI' opinion .on the above qU88tiOU8.
Board of water Engineera, Page 2
"For your information, you are advised
that the Lower Oolorndo River Authority has ao-
quired water rights under oertain tilings made
under Chapter Two, Title Sixty of the Revleed
Civil Statutea of 1805, lnoludlng iilfne made
by John N. Simp0011 OOYering fiiin&S Of Edgar L.
Flippen, the Colorado River Syndicate, the col-
orado Rioor mwer Company, A. A. John8on and c.
H. Alenander. A oertiried oopy 0r the reoord
or appropriation made by Sl.mpsonwa8 flled with
the Board or Water lmglneers on sune 30, 1914,
and included Irrigation, mlnlng, milling, menu-
raoturing, power, water work8 and 8toOk raising.
*You are further advlaed that the Lower
Colorado River Authority has aaquired O serle8
permite, through 8uoceaelve tran8rera, to la-
pound, divert, appropriate and uee not to ex-
oesd 1,391,530 eare-teat per anmm or waters or
the Colorado River and trlbutarie8 for the pur-
poee oi power development. Thla rerl48 0r per-
mlts are dated May lb, 1926, are for pcwer pur-
pO8eO only, and overlap the .ch.iri0b ??11iq8
made by John N. Simpson et al, mentfoned above.
"On May 25, 1938, the Board or water ER-
gineers granted the Lower Colorado River Author-
ity Permits MOO. 1259, 1839-A and 1260. The ap-
pllcatione for these permits are dated Wroh 7th,
1938.
*Permit No, 1259 permits the Authority to
Impound, divert, appropriate and use not to ex-
oeed 1,391,530 acre-feet of the ordinary and
storm and rlood flow or the Colorado River end
tributaries, for dome8tia and municipal ~808,
water to be used in proassses designed to oon-
vert matarlala 0r a 10wer order 0r talus into
forme having greater ueabillty and oomtuerolal
value, lrrigatloa, mining and recovery of minorala,
and hydroelectric power. Thi8 permit bl(solude8
1,225,700 acre-reet per anuum ror power purpo808,
heretofore granted under permit No. 954 to the
Syndioate Power Company On May 15, 1926. The
total amount appropriated under both prmit8 not
to exaeed 1,391,530 aare-feet per aMu& Thl8
Board of Water Xnglneers, p4~4 3
permit alro authorlaee th4 oon8truotion or ths
Buchanan Dam.
*Permit 190.1269-A euthorioee the Authority
to OOMtrUOtthe Ink8 Dam and impound, divert,
appropriate end uee not to axaeed 1,391,630 eore-
r44t per annum or the ordinary and storm and
flood flow Or the Oolorado River and tribUt4ria8
for the generation or hydroeleotrio power. l%i8
permit inoludes the 1,228,700 acre-teat or water
par annum for power purpooes heretofore granta.
under permit lie.984 to The Syndicate power Oom-
pay on May 15, 19Eb. The total 4m0unt eppropri-
eted Under both parmlts not to axoeed 1,391,530
eora-reat par annum.
Vartit No. 1860 authorizea the.oonstruotion
or the Mer8hell Ford Dapr,4nd ~rmltr the Author-
ity to impound, divart, appropriate end ~84 not
to 4x0446 1,500,OOO aore-feet pr annum 0r the or-
dinary end etorm an& blood rlow or the Colorado
Rivbr and trlbuteria8 rotor dame8tio end munloip41
~818, rater to be 118.4 In prooaere8 designed to
oonvert mat8rlal.rof a lower order 0r value into
form8 hayIn& greater wabillty enb o0mtnaroielvalue,
irrigation, mining md reoovery or piner41~, and
hydroalaotrio power. !I%18 p4rmit inolude8
1,391,530 4ore-feat or w4ter per annum ror power
purp0848, herutotora granted under parmlta Bo8.
951 and 962 to The Byndioeta Power Company on liey
16, 1986. The total amount appropriated under both
parmlte not to axoeed l,WO,OOO eore-feat par an-
num.
“YiWl 4T4 4180 4dV184d th4t
thi8 B04rd h48 n4Y4r
granted the Upper Oolorado EUY4r Authority parmlt
to appropriate waters or aolorado River for any
purpo86, and turthsr, the said Authority ha4 never
filed an epplloation with th4 Boardfor 4 parmlt.
And w4 have no knorrledgeof the Authority h4Ylng
eoqulr4d any permit4 harbtorore granted to othera."
HOU84 Bill HO. 77, Ohapt4r 126 of the Party-Pourth
Lagialatura (1935), Oanaral Laws, Regular Session, peg0 396
orafstedthe Upper Ooloredo jt.kvarAuthority. The general and
the enumerated powers of the upper Colorado River AUth0rlty
are v4ry rlaller to thora granted to th8 L0w8r Qoloredo River
Authority by the term8 of Senate Blllxo. 2, Ohaptar 9 of th4
fourth oellad ea84ton, Potty-tbirtlL4glnlatura (1934), -nor41
Board o? water Dngineer8, page 4
ana Spaolal Law8 0r Taxae, peg4 19. Tha eat oreetlng the
Upp6r Authority contain8 the rollowing:
"Provided rurthar, that in creating and
oonierrihg the bsneilt8 or this Aot on sali\
Dlstriot, it i8 declared a8 an aaaentlal part
thereor that irrsspeotive of any existing right
or rlghta or permits lscruedby the Board o?
Water Buginears O? tha State or Texas to use
the water Or the Colorado River end it8 trlbu-
tarlao ?or the generetlon 01 hydra-aleotrio
power and whioh right8 or permit8 may be ao-
quirad by th8 DlatriOtl the lmpouudlng and u8a
0r the ii006 water8 or tha aolora60 Rlnr end/
or It8 trlbutarlaa ?or tha generation o? hydro-
~lactrlo power by the Dirtriot end/or shy one
who may suocaad to tha right8 end privileges
OOni6Prad upon it by this AOt, 8h811 be 8ubjaOt
to the rights o? auy other pereon, munlalpal oor-
poratlon or body politio heratorore iqouudlng
or now putting to benericlal u8e any suoh water8
for the purposa8, 8et ?orth In fmbdivie$ons (l),
(2) and (3) of Artlole 7471 or the R8vi8rd ~1~11
Eltatutar of the State o? T*XW, a8 amended by
Chapter 128 o? the Aote o? the Forty-aeaond Lagis-
latura o? the Stata o? %x48, when suoh other
person, municipal oorporatlon or body,polltlo
haa haratoiore receivad e permit for 8uoh U8a or
we8 from the Board o? Water Englamr8 o? th8
State o? Teul8, or who by law ha8 heretoPore bean
partittad to impound water ?or tha a?ora8eld pur-
po8a8, and nothing in this Aot 8hall aver be oon-
struod 80 as to 8ubjeot to oondanm8tlon by sela
Dlrrtrlotor any suooesaora or by anyone who m8y
succeed to the right.8end prlvllega8 Oon?aWad
upon it by this A& any water8 haretoiora iapOunda6
or to be ImpOunded within or without the Dl8trl0t
o&or any law euthorlzlngweter to be impounded
or under any permits heretorare granted or hara-
sitar granted to a munloipal aorporetlon'or body
politic or any waters haratolora impounded or par-
ffiitteu to be impounded or U84d without the Dlatriot
under permits heratoiora or hereeiter granted to
any paroon,
“Nothing In this AOt shall be construed 48
depriving any person or auulclpalIty 0r tha right
to impound tha waters o? tha Colorado River ana/Or
ltr trlbuterle8 ior domertlc end/or munlolp41 puri
poses, nor or repealing any law granting suoh
rights to pereons end munlclpalltf48~.
pmrd of Riter Znglncers, page S
“&SO. 8-a. It is now dsolciredto be the
pub1l.cpolioy of this Otate that any and all.
rights of the Dietrict hereby oreated to im-
pound and/or use and/or me11 the water8 of the
Colorado River a d its trfbutarire for the geen-
oration of hyero-eleatrlo power shall be eub-
ordinate and inferior to the rights oi olties
and towne situated within the watershed of the
Colorado River and its tributerise to build
dams and Irr.Dound flood water8 for munloipal pur-
poses; and likewise the rights of the eaid Dle-
trict hereby oreeted, to impound and/or use and/or
se13 sale waters for the generation of hydro-
eleotrio power, shall be subordinate and ln-
terior to the rights of any oftiren of Texas, or
bodies polltio, to build d8UIS and impound the flood
waters within the watershed of the Colorado River
an4 its tributaries for domestio purpaaes and ior
the purposes of lrrlgation, and the title to any
and all.rights, properties, liaons~s, franohises,
and/or permits aoquired, or to be acquired, by
th,eUpper Colorado River Authority, shall k and
beoome subject to the liaftatlons imposed by this
geotion.*
senate Bill:No. 8, passed at the 4th Ualled Session,
CSrd Legielaturd, (1934) oreatfng the Lower Colorsdo River Author-
ity oontainlreubotantially if not identioally the same language
as that immediately &ova quoted from H. B. 100.77, Uth Legls-
lature, oreating the Upper Colorado River Authority.
~rtiole 7471 of the Rerlwd blvll Statutea, a part of
the title *Waters* deolaree the lollowing ozder of priorities
with respect to the usea of Dublio waters, to-wit:
l# Domestic and municipal u84s, lnoludlng water
for auetalnlng human life and the life of domestio animala.
8. Water to be used in proOesae8 designed to oonvert
material8 of a lower order value into forma having greater usable
and oommerolal value and to lnolude water neoeeeary for the de-
velopment of electrio power by means other than Fydro-eleotrio.
3. Irrigation.
4. Elning and reoover o? minerals.
S. Hydr&electrio p@ver. :
Board of water Enfilneere,page 6
8. Xavlgation.
7. Becretitlm and pleasure.
The use ec;brecedin $?uMlrialon 1 la by comoa law
n 54tural u6e 6uyerior tc 811 other use8. (Clements vs. wat-
ichar Lana corn--pny, ,332 9. w. 665, revernd and remandedup5n
another point, 86 s. 9. the oommon law rule,
733). materor
howwar, may be, the statute itself has fire6 thb priorltle8
in the Order above maed, ?urthsrziiore, the &u&era1 8tbtut.e
and the Aot ornatlng the reapectivo authorltie8 hmw deolared
t!m priorities.
‘Hoq~estl:m of vested rights in oon?sotlon with the
mattema being 6~8ouesed 18 involved under your,sfatement of
faote since both Authorlilss are govermental agenoier,and all
proprietary rlghtr of either or both thenforo arm thon of
the state for the um and benotlt of the publle’aud the 8tato.
through the Legislature is free at all time to ohan&e itr pub-
li8 polioy and to change or repeal exleting laws, lo Ion& ar
?rlvete vested rights are not disturbed thereby.
Our oonetruotfm of these Aate, and a ooa#Jideration
0r th4 principle* aiumunoed, had ue t0 the 001t4lu8lOn that
your flrtktqU48tiCIR8h4ula be anewered in the afflnnative, a56
your aeooad one in the ne~rtlve.
We h&v4 not oomddereib-we do not find it aooaatmry
to deold4--whether or not. under the rerrpeotiva,nctaoreatlag
the im4r Colorado River Authority 4na tha upper 00i0aa4 Riv4r
Authority as atat8 rpenoies it ie neaoo~:ar;*
For suoh 3~enoir8
to produre poxmAts from the State Board of Water 0ontro1, ln
any event, or La other WOrd8, whether or not the k48peotive Aotr
themmlves oonstitute 0oPiplsceand dlreot lutho&ty tar th8
agenoise to do and ?erfom the acts thsraln oo.mittsd to their
jurlsdiot~ionand power.
Y4ura very truly
ATTORNEY OEF3AL OF
.VE'ROVECDliT2, 1940
Cl3;*n,