Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable C. 8. Clark, Chainan Board of ‘n’atsr hglrmere
Stat0 Auurtin, Tsxar
Dear Sir! opinion lo. O-3606
other thau arts or rtatr rs under the Annotated wollr, othm thau annual reporta with ooverlug the iuf6flu- 6, y.A.Q.B., unbr a ed by tie Board pw- u aaib Board uudar the 7 6 Vemoa’r Annotated C%Vi% Btatuter rradm asJ?ii$$” iWailed strrtdmmt frrmlclbad
d-G616. *OR or batore the ilrrt eaoh iluy of -oh every person, asroolat,fion o? pereons *2 flonorable C. S. Clark. Chairman, Page e
during any part of the preoedlng oalendar year, owed or operated any arterlan well for any pur- pore other than that of domsstlo us., shall fur- nish, under oath, to the Board oi Hater Englneercl, upon blanks to be furnl4hed by the Board, a da- showLn$ qumatlty water whlsh tailed rtateaaat ha. been derived from s\loh ~411, and th. 0haraat.r of use to whloh same has been applied together with the change in level of water tabi. of aal6 rell, and if used tn Irrigation, the acreage and yield of eaoh orop, together with suoh additional data as the Board may reqolre.*
WI are of the oplnlon that your first quertlon should be l newered ln the negative. By Its express term.
thle article appllrs only to the owner or operator of an arterlan well. It oan be given no other Interpretation.
Ye quote from 39 tex. Jut. 186-189 an follows: Vhe maxle
(the expression 14 raid to be a loglail, senalbl. and 60-d rule of ooartruetlon; and it ha4 been frlrquently applied in the oonstraotlon of statute8 as 91411 a. In the lnteroretatlon of oth4r doaumentr. The maxlr rlgnl- Sler that e xp rer 4 l entloa or emaeration of one peroon, thing, oonsequenoe or olarr Is tantamount an express xolurlon of all othrr4. And when It la appll4abl., afflrmatlre word0 Imply a negative a? what Is not afflrms4, negative words lqlr an affIrmatlre what is not negatlred; and a pm~l- rlon llmltlng a thing to be done a partlaular form or manner lnpllee that it mh4ll not be done oth.rwls4.a
In answer to your flrrt qu48tlon. you are rerpeot- fully adtired that owners of water wells other than artesian wells are not requlrmd by Artisle ‘7616, Vetaon’r Annotated Civil Statutes, to file annual reports or rtat4ments with the Board Water Engineers.
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Honorable C. 9. Clark, Chairman, Page S
Aatm 1931, 42nd Legislature. Chapter 261, Sea- tlons 1 and 6 (codlfled as Artlola 646a, Vernon*8 Penal Code), read as follows:
*9.0. 1. It is hereby dealared to be the policy and duty of the Taxa State Roard of Mater Engineer8 to make and enforoe ntlee and regula-
tion‘ for the aon(1enatlon, protection, prerar-
ration and distribution of all underground, rub- terrmean aud peroolatlng water8 of every kind
an& nature whateoerer situated within the limits of the Stats of Texas.
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*Sea. 6. The Board of Uater lihglneerr 8hall do all things neoessary for the aonsamatlon, pro- tection, preernatlon and dtrtrIbutlon of under- ground, subterranean and peroolatlng waters In this State and rhall make and euforoe appropriate
mleo and regulation8 thsrefor and speolflo
enumeration of rpeoial powerr and but148 herein 8hall not be OonetNod to deny the raid Board
other powers and duties n8oessary to the aarwlng out the purposes of this Aot as 8xpreeoed ln
Sootlana 1 and 6 hereof. Failure for a p4riod aore than thirty days to omrply vith any order
of raid board Issued ln pursuanoe of the power8 and dutler herein oreated ohall 8ubjeat the par- 8on eo riolatlng said order to the penaltier enu- in Seotlon 6 haTeof. (Aah 1931, 42nd g&ted
-, p. 432, oh. 261.)
Thus, It Is seen alnas 1931, It tin 0xpraealJ bean pollay and dutl of the State through the Boaxd of Water Engineers to promulgate Nle8 and regulation8 ior the aon8ervatlon, protaotion, preservation and dlstrlbutlon of
,~subterranean aad peroolatlng waters of m (EIppha8Is ourr) That thin etatute 18 'there aan be no doibt.
We quote from 44 Tex. Jur. 25 as follows: *In the absence anjy aldenae the oon- trary, It may be presumed that water obtained by *4 Baaomble C.~ 8. Clark, Chairman, Pqe 4
exoavatlng the earth Is ordinarily peroolatlng water."
The oamc of liourton & T.C.F.y.Co. t. East, W Tern. 147, fX% 9-W. 279, ertabllrheo the aostmon law rule of thr right of oaptum am to underground raters In thlt state.
Under thle niLe even though a well drains all the water from another well on adjaasnt property, the owner the moon6 well hm@ no re0oTery; it Is "damnum brqus 1nJurIa.a See also Judklmre 1. Miller, 960 S.V. 690; Terns Co. T. (Plddlngr, 148 S.W. 1149.
Is the right of aapturr underground uaterm rub Jeot to rcaronable regulation by the State when In the Interest of ooncervatlon, preservation, etc., apoh regulation Ir neaeg- sarr? Ye am the oplalon that It Is.
A olear analogr to the regulation o? rlghhto in under- ground waters la found In the regulation of rlghte In oil and gas. The rule of oapture 10 equally applloable 011 and gas flowing beneath the eurfaoe. Olllette T. Wltehell et al, 214 6.x. 619; Prairie 011 & Gas Co. at al T. X16-Kaaeatl Oil & Gas Co., I?64 B.U. 260; Texas PaCllle Coal b 011 Co. T.
Comanahe Duke 011 Co., 2?4 6.U. 193, 296 6.W. 664. P*terson at al T. OnTee 011 Co. et al, ~87 S.V. (2dQ) S67 66 S.Y. (86) 781; Brown et al (1. Humble 011 0 Refining Co., is6 S.W. (6d) 966* General Wade Oil Co. 6% al T. Iiarrlr et ux 101 S.Y.
(24 109dT The spaon et al v. Coa8olId8ted 6as Otilltiea Cor- poration, Jo0 U.S. 66, 81 L.Ed. 610. It Is settled br the drolrlons of the oourlof Texas the right of oapture, aa applied to oil and ga8, 18 eubbjeot to reasonable reg&UtIon.
Ue quote from the aaee of Paterson et al T. Grayoe Oil Co. et xl, 67 S.Y. 6d 667 (Af?Ined 98 6.W. Bd 761) as follow‘:
a* * l
*Won though It aould be eald that prior to the adoption of the statater resting in the Railroad Commlrslon the powers therein enumerated and the adoption of Rule 40 bg the eommlselon, oommoa- law rule am announoed In flouston & T.C.Ry.Go. 1.
honorable C. 9. Clark, Chairun, Page 5
East, 98 Tex. 140, 81 S.W. 279, 66 L.R.A. 738, 107 Am. St. Rep. 620, 4 Ann. Cae. 827, would be appll- Gable to the production of oil by a leaseholder to the same extent as the produotlon vater from a well drilled which would exhaust the eupply OS an adJoinIng property owner, yet we believe that th naotment of those statutse and the adoption of Rule 40 by the RaIlroad Co~mlrelon would hare the effeot to ohange that oommon-law rule aa applloable to the proauatlon of 011 and gae anb that the same are valid, In that thelr &feet la mwoly to pro- trot the right of blfferent lease or tltls holderr in the enJovment OS thelr ooequal rights to aoquln from a common reaenolr. oil
The Suprere.Court in the oaae of Brows et al '1. Humble 011 L Refln¶.w Oo., 83 S.W. (26) 938, had the Sollow- lag tfa uyr
*Owlag the peoullar oharao~terlrtioe of oil and gas, the foregoing rule of ownership of 011 an6 pslln plaoe rhould be oonsldereb oonneotlon with law of aaptlrre. This rule gives the rlght ts produoe all of the oil and gas ~111 flov out of the veil on one'8 land; and this lr a propcrrtJ . And It ir limited only b7 the phJmlaal poe- right rlbi2itr of the abjolnlag landowner dlmlnlshlng the oil and gas under one's land br the exerolre of the same right of oapture, The following deoleione dlr- OUBB the lau of aapture aa applied in this state: Stephenns County v. #Id-Kansas 011 & (Paa Go., 113 Tax.
160, 254 S.Y. 2Q0, 29 A.L.R. 668; If.&T.C.Ry.Co. 1.
Eart, 98 Tax. 146, 81 S.Y. 279, 66 L.&A. 738, 107 Am. St. Rep. 620, 4 AM. Car. 827; Pralrir 011 & Qar Co. Y. Stats (T'er. Corn. App.) 2Sl S.U. 1088, 1089.
Both ruler are subjsot to remlrtlon under the oollaq power of a state. (!Smphasir ours)
lib . c*
-. :: a Honorable C. 9. Clark, Chairman, Page 6
You will notloe that among the authorltlee cited by the court appears the Fast aase whlah 18 the prlnolpal case defining v&tar rights In thle State In thin conneotlon.
Upon the bnhlo of the authorltles heretofore olted, It ie the opinion of this department that the Ttate nay lm- pose reauonable regulations for the prerervatlon and conser- vation of underground, subterranean, and peroolatlng water8 within this State. anewer to your uecond question, therefore, you
are respectfully advl*e& that under Aote 1931, 42nd Leglnla- rnw raqulre ture, Chapter 261, the Soar& of Water Engineers of ovnercr of uater vella, other than artesian, annual reports covering the same information requlre4 by Article 7615, V.A.C.S., of owner8 of arteelan wells, If In the exercise of sound dis- oretlon the Board deteralnee that nuch report6 are ensentlal an8 bie- for the *aonservatlon, protection, precervatlon trlbutlon* of the underground, eubterranean, and percolating watsre of this State.
Very truly your8 ATTORNEY G!ZXER4L OF TEXAS Jamer P. Hart Assletant