**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS**
**AUSTIN**

Bcmorable 0. 9. Clark, Ohalnara Board of Water SQ@,nwm+ Austin, Tex.aa

WI banI reoelvedyvuP ing whether suds appmprLatoU ne6Ps ?or *atlvammeasurmt statlstloal o6mplLrtfaas mm#rarJbeusedttopa~ ohased by the 0. 8. 0001 m6asur6m6ut

vork ia tbls you3 lstt6r as follmfst

:

"Itkoarrying

on atreuammfmr6m6nt work it is n6cesaaryTop the Bosrd of Water BrrgLneers end the U. 8. Oeolo$ha~ Survey to cwn and operatea number of automobiles. some OS tbeeeHonorable 0. 9. Olark, Obalrmsn, **Page 2** 

automobiles

are purobaretl

vith Fedex%1 SuMs ma somevlth State Suads,but all awe assipaed to, and used exaluslvelyin oooperrtlvestream measurement

**work** &I Texae streams. Heretofore It baa been the praotloeOS the Board OS Water Eggine8l’B to SppPOVe for payment aocounts eovering repairsand parts for automobilesused ln streammeasumnent~out ot state Smds amdo available for that purpose,by the Is@sleture, regardless of **whether** the automobile was purchasedtlth Federal or vfth State Suads. **At** other timss the U. S. C+eological

Surveybar paid suoh aooomta without regard to tbe funds out OS which the automobilewas pumhased. The onlgrequlremimtbelng that the autcmobfleIs used In streammeaeursPtsnt work io T8z(LS.’ Wehsvebbeninionaedbfyorurde~trPlmtthstths autamobiler

purebasedwltbSed.ral Sunds allotted to the Taxas Divisionof the U. S. OeologiaalSurvey play be used OnlyinTexse. M have also bean Momsed that all the data obtalned**by** the employees, whethec federal or state employees, who um these ooss, is used by, and is ap file 9n, your offloe.
The item o? appropMatlon w%th VU& you are oopoerped scads 0s ?ollws:

'STATR BOARD OF WATER IBIGllJEXRS

“ 3

. stream nl8asurem8?lt, topographio surveysand statlstical oompilatlcmsin cooperation

with U. 8. Oovernment- - - - - - .$20,000.00 ~20,000.00

It+ c l (y; 1 39, 46th Leg., R. S., SP. L., Ch. 6.

. . &?7r P. 64)Honorable 0. S. Clark, Ohalmsn, Page 3

Ye are of the opinim that the ?3md11 mentioneul

in above quoted appropriation rvry be used for the payment of the repairs to the automobiles**used** in suoh vork.

It Is msraifest

that autasobllea

are neaessary to aooompltiheffeotlvelystreammeasurment and topographio surveyvork. Employeesandeqtipmsntmustbetransported. It ia lHtC88~ that these automoblles must be kept ln re

### pair so that the streammeasurement **vork** aan be satlsSaotorlly oarried out; it follows, therefore,that repaim to the oars may be paid Sroa the above mentlamd appoprlatlan. .we Term11 v. Sparks, 104 Tex. 191, 135 8. W. 519.

Hwt these oars be ovmdbythfs StatebeSore payment for repairsnny be mada with S*te Sunds? Ve thiaknot. You state that the Board of Water R@neers has a written agroammatvlth the SurSacie Water Divlslon of the U. 8. Oeologleal Surveyvherebbg the Pederal govezmmmt at&es dollar for dollar in orrrgingGUI atram MB trorkinfexan. The appropriotlanto the Board of Water Ea&n*bra in asde for "Streammeasurement.

. . erxuwnt." ia ooopmatlan with D. 8. Qov-

(Bnrphasls

ours). 1% is appamat that funds ior repalra on these cars vould be "in oooperatim ,iths8%. Oovernaent

2 The instant sltuatlaamsy vell be campwed to an autorwbZlelease oontraotvhe;ricby the lessee agrees to keep the automobilein repair.

You state in your letter that in the past the Board of Water Ibglneershas approved folr paymsnt aaooumts coveringrepair8 to automobilesused in stmam measureme& vork re@wdless of vhether suoh automobiles vera purchased vlth federal funds or vlth 8tate funds. We deem it proper to quote Srm Oorpus Ja Volume 59, pages-263-264, as OollOVl5:î l l 4 &%mn the meaning of aa appropriationaot is doubtful the constrwtlon placed upon It by the offloeraaharged vith @he admlnistratlaa thereof is entitled to considerablemight, but is no: controlUng when it ia clearlywxong. 4 4 4

IHonorable 0. 8. **Clark,** -, Pa@ 4

In viev o? the foregoing,it 18 the oansldemd opinion OS this departaumtthat the Board of Water IBglneers may legallyapprove for payment, snd the account&g offlalals of this State may legallypay, vowhera covering repairs to the l utcuuoblles

purohaaedvith Federal Smds allotted to the Texas Dlvlslon of the U. 9. OeologicalSurvey for stream meaaumment when suah automobiles are assigned to and used exoluslvelyin swh work. Very truly yours AT- GENERAL OF TEXAB 

# 2%4.-.+

JsmsP.Eart Assistant