OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorable C. 8. Clark, Chainan 

Stat0 Board of ‘n’atsr hglrmere 

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 iuf6flu6, y.A.Q.B., unbr a 

ed by tie Board pwu aaib Board uudar the 

rradm asJ?ii$$” 

7 6 Vemoa’r Annotated C%Vi% Btatuter 

d-G616. iWailed strrtdmmt frrmlclbad 

*OR or batore the ilrrt iluy of -oh of eaoh 

every person, asroolat,fion o? pereons 

26 
27 

flonorable C. S. Clark. Chairman, Page e 

during any part of the preoedlng oalendar year, 

owed or operated any arterlan well for any purpore other than that of domsstlo us., shall furnish, under oath, to the Board oi Hater Englneercl, 

upon blanks to be furnl4hed by the Board, a datailed rtateaaat showLn$ the qumatlty of water whlsh 

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 rlgnlSler th a t the exp r er4 l entloa or emaeration of one 

peroon, thing, oonsequenoe or olarr Is tantamount 

to an express l xolurlon of all othrr4. And when It 

la appll4abl., afflrmatlre word0 Imply a negative 

a? what Is not afflrms4, negative words lqlr an 

affIrmatlre of what is not negatlred; and a pm~lrlon llmltlng a thing to be done In a partlaular 

form or manner lnpllee that it mh4ll not be done 

oth.rwls4.a 

In answer to your flrrt qu48tlon. you are rerpeotfully 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 of Water Engineers. 

. 
28 

Honorable C. 9. Clark, Chairman, Page S 

Aatm 1931, 42nd Legislature. Chapter 261, Seatlons 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 regulation‘ for the aon(1enatlon, protection, prerarration and distribution of all underground, rubterrmean aud peroolatlng water8 of every kind 

an& nature whateoerer situated within the limits 

of the Stats of Texas. 

a + l l 

*Sea . 6. The Board of Uater lihglneerr 8hall 

do all things neoessary for the aonsamatlon, protection, preernatlon and dtrtrIbutlon of underground, subterranean and peroolatlng waters In 

this State and rhall make and euforoe appropriate 

mleo and regulation8 thsrefor and the 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 of the purposes of this Aot as 8xpreeoed ln 

Sootlana 1 and 6 hereof. Failure for a p4riod 

of 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 par8on eo riolatlng said order to the penaltier enug&ted in Seotlon 6 haTeof. (Aah 1931, 42nd 

-, p. 432, oh. 261.) 

Thus, It Is seen that alnas 1931, It tin 0xpraealJ 

bean the pollay and dutl of the State through the Boaxd of 

Water Engineers to promulgate Nle8 and regulation8 ior the 

l aon8ervatlon, protaotion, preservation and dlstrlbutlon of 

,~subterranean aad peroolatlng waters of m 

(EIppha8Is ourr) 

'there 

That thin etatute 18 

aan be no doibt. 

We quote from 44 Tex. Jur. 25 as follows: 

*In the absence of anjy aldenae to the oontrary, It may be presumed that water obtained by 
29 

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 of the moon6 

well hm@ no re0oTery; it Is "damnum l 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 of underground uaterm rub 

Jeot to rcaronable regulation by the State when In the Interest 

of ooncervatlon, preservation, etc., apoh regulation Ir neaegsarr? Ye am of the oplalon that It Is. 

A olear analogr to the regulation o? rlghhto in underground waters la found In the regulation of rlghte In oil and 

gas. The rule of oapture 10 equally applloable to 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 Corporation, Jo0 U.S. 66, 81 L.Ed. 610. It Is settled br the 

drolrlons of the oourlof Texas that 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, the oommoalaw 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 appllGable to the production of oil by a leaseholder to 

the same extent as the produotlon of vater from a 

well drilled which would exhaust the eupply OS an 

adJoinIng property owner, yet we believe that th 

l 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 protrot the right of blfferent lease or tltls holderr 

in the enJovment OS thelr ooequal rights to aoquln 

oil from a common reaenolr. 

The Suprere.Court in the oaae of Brows et al '1. 

Humble 011 L Refln¶.w Oo., 83 S.W. (26) 938, had the Sollowlag tfa uyr 

*Owlag to the peoullar oharao~terlrtioe of oil 

and gas, the foregoing rule of ownership of 011 an6 

pslln plaoe rhould be oonsldereb In oonneotlon with 

the law of aaptlrre. This rule gives the rlght ts 

produoe all of the oil and gas that ~111 flov out 

of the veil on one'8 land; and this lr a propcrrtJ 

right . And It ir limited only b7 the phJmlaal poerlbi2itr 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 dlrOUBB 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 lmpose reauonable regulations for the prerervatlon and conservation of underground, subterranean, and peroolatlng water8 

within this State. 

In anewer to your uecond question, therefore, you 

are respectfully advl*e& that under Aote 1931, 42nd Leglnlature, Chapter 261, the Soar& of Water Engineers rnw raqulre 

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 disoretlon the Board deteralnee that nuch report6 are ensentlal 

for the *aonservatlon, protection, precervatlon an8 bietrlbutlon* of the underground, eubterranean, and percolating 

watsre of this State. 

Very truly your8 

ATTORNEY G!ZXER4L OF TEXAS 

Jamer P. Hart 

Assletant