#### § 50.1 Introduction.

The Act entitled “An Act to create the California Debris Commission and regulate hydraulic mining in the State of California”, approved March 1, 1893, as amended, 27 Stat. 507; 34 Stat. 1001; 48 Stat. 1118; 52 Stat. 1040; 61 Stat. 501; 33 U.S.C. 661-687, provides in part as follows:

That a commission is hereby created, to be known as the California Debris Commission, consisting of three members. * * *

Sec. 3. That the jurisdiction of said commission, insofar as the same affects mining carried on by the hydraulic process, shall extend to all such mining in the territory drained by the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems in the State of California. * * *

Sec. 8. That for the purposes of this act “hydraulic mining” and “mining by the hydraulic process,” are hereby declared to have the meaning and application given to said terms in said State.

Sec. 9. That the individual proprietor or proprietors, or in the case of a corporation its manager or agent appointed for that purpose, owning mining ground in the territory in the State of California mentioned in section three hereof, which it is desired to work by the hydraulic process, must file with said commission a verified petition, setting forth such facts as will comply with law and the rules prescribed by said commission.

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Sec. 13. That in case a majority of the members of said Commission, within thirty days after the time so fixed, concur in the decision in favor of the petitioner or petitioners, the said Commission shall thereupon make an order directing the methods and specifying in detail the manner in which operations shall proceed in such mine or mines; * * *

Sec. 23. Upon the construction by the said commission of dams or other works for the detention of debris from hydraulic mines and the issuing of the order provided for by this Act to any individual, company, or corporation to work any mine or mines by hydraulic process, the individual, company, or corporation operating thereunder working any mine or mines by hydraulic process, the debris from which flows into or is in whole or in part restrained by such dams or other works erected by said commission, shall pay for each cubic yard mined from the natural bank a tax equal to the total capital cost of the dam, reservoir, and rights of way divided by the total capacity of the reservoir for the restraint of debris, as determined in each case by the California Debris Commission, which tax shall be paid annually on a date fixed by said commission and in accordance with regulations to be adopted by the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Treasurer of the United States is hereby authorized to receive the same. * * * The Secretary of the Army is authorized to enter into contracts to supply storage for water and use of outlet facilities from debris storage reservoirs, for domestic and irrigation purposes and power development upon such conditions of delivery, use, and payment as he may approve: *Provided,* That the moneys received from such contracts shall be deposited to the credit of the reservoir project from which the water is supplied, and the total capital cost of said reservoir, which is to be repaid by tax on mining operations as herein provided, shall be reduced in the amount so received.