: Oi=l=ICE OF TIhE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 
Xonorsbl~ John i’:.. Yritohett, Pale 2 

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785; t,Tott~v. Doyd, 116 Tsx. 02, 2S6 SIC': 45S; Conferonco opinion 

to Ucn. Si, 11. Gravoo, dntcd Seztmber 10, 1914; Artialo 7467, _ : 

?I.- c. 6, .:; 

khc proviso cls,uso 03 Scotion 16 of the l%&act 

(Acts 19:17, 35th Leg,, R. S,, Ch. OQ, H, R, 257) readn as 

f 011oaY0 : 

" 

soo-tl~fi 

,providod, however, that nothing In this 

& in this Act ahnll affect or rostriot 

th8 right of any p?rson ox- poroono, OWAing hin%S 

in Chi.6 Stoto to con3tmct cn his Gm proL;ertg any 

da or recorvoir which wul.% tipound or oontain 

10s~ than flvc hund?e% acre-feet bf lrnter.lt 

In an opinion d&3% Au.pst 25* 1917 (Conftwcme 

Opinion !W. lS12), Honorablcj G. B. S~eilloy held l&t the 

ahove CjnGtCd clause rcn-ely gives to u parson owzin~ Ian& the 

right to comtruot such due oy rescrvolr without submitti32 

his plans to t&c BGtZd oZ' Ftitc~ "Lnsinoorn for approval and 

tht-tt tha olouso does not &.re such person the right to use, 

vithpiit pmilt, the nator ixpoundod by such im or reservoir 

or to in);ound und hold in such reservoir c;utcr asedad by 

witor ~uso:-s,ka~ixq a prior ri@t. This 02it;ion mm ugain 

adopted imd.s>provod on ILay S, 1940 by the promnt Attmmoy 

Gonerol of Ikmr,. 

In 1925 the IAginlnturti c!!cnded tho 1917 aot (Auts' 

1925, 59th LOS,, ,R. S., Ch. 135, S. B. 3491. Section 16 of 

the 1917 act ms amnded and tho yrovisotrss omtttod from tho 

amndmxt, Section 5 of ths amndutory tct rseds t-6 follov?s: 

. "SCO. 5. Any one my cbktruot on his oxn 

proparty a.dnn and rcsorvoir to iwgound or contain 

not, to cxcood t&o kundrc~d nnd fifty scro feet of 

Mter without the nccesaity of socurinG a ;-erz?it 

TIiFxZfor.~* (Ezphasl.3 supplied) 

Tn our Opinion ITo. O-l.99 3, addressed to the km-% of 

S.kt~r iZni:lncors, no held t!lat Section 5, codified by Vsrhr;n 

CG i\rtiOl.(? CSGOR, v.nr unconstitutidnzL bccauno of the irrecon0ilcbl.c aotilict b~twen the caRtj.on of the wzt, ::hioh provided thet one my comtruct "12 iicm or r0aervoi~~ to contain 
could not effect the rwsdl of the m~rovi50 of Seotion ie of 

the : 

not 

- 

69. 

. 

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. . . . 

1917 act, and also thot the smikrzcnt .of Scotion 18 did 

repeal ths prov3.30. . 

In 1941 the 47th Logfsl.etura passed Eouco- ??$ll Eo. 

So&ion 1 of the b&U is qu0ted.w fol1om~: 

%Scction 2. That Section 5, Chapter 136,. Aats 

sofa the li%@Ilnr sIzo.?sion of th6 Thirt:i-ninth Lc&3- 

Iuture bo and the same ia hemby amtided so as to 

he??c?aftcr mod us foliosJor 

,. 

?Section 5. Any one nay oonstruot on his own 

pr0.cort.y a’ Em and reservoir to j.npour,d ox aoztain. 

Aat to GxOeQd fift 

d~cmstic and I 

a y (50) acre-fcot of mter for 

vcstoch pur~osca w!.t?lout the nccnrM.ty 

s soc~ri~ a ??mlzil; ttx3rafor.” &iiph3ia suppppliai) 

At Pirut Slcnce om cm see a satiod*diffo2enoc 

batweoa. this saotion cn t!m OUG hand wit? the proviso of the 

1911 act and the attezpttid ‘mendnest on the OthGr hand bcsides tho roduotion In acre-feat. %lC$ UbOVO quoted B33tiOn 

not only covers t!la coaatiruotion of a dnc, QE do the otinsr two 

scixiior proviaidns, but it also spaoiflen tka use to ~vhich the 

nator Ray be put. XOUSO Bill. 63 s~oci.ficellg provides teat 

a p?rwn nay calatxuct a do=! on hin 017A property l’~iot to 

ezoeod fifty (50) acre-fact of wster rcr dm6stLo~and livestock 

I?ITKXW~~ without the necessity of necuxin,;: a -emit ttwrefor. ‘! 

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. 

EJonorablo John \S. TMtohett, PO&3 4' -. 

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. 

But~ovan c,oxo convincZAg thin the phrcaeolo&y ezJployed'by the. Le&.elnturo is the~sgecificntiou of the UOOD 

1ts01s. %b *uote frcn the Sxedley oplnlon (Couferon9o @pinion Jcor 1BlE 7 86 follo*.v5r . . . 

::. 9, 

"The provi5foA~ in vCeaffon18 5ny5 nothing whatwer &out .th tdcing or uning of water, acd it would 

not 'bo a rcasomblo coA5truotioA of it to aoncludo 

tknt it WE iAttended to give to ouch person l&e right, 

wIthout pm&t, to use or divertthe Vator tipouAded 

by tA0.da!L or reservoir." 

Euob: 5re Aot the ocnditloAs here+ The bill uudor 

~oonoide~eticn oovcrs Aot only the constructica OS tJ;e dez~ or 

renarvoir, but also tha uses to which tJlo water £ed my 

ho put. B,e ubov& quotod pmxgraph stated convexsely 55 to 

the cSffeo.G that nince the u50 o f the mtcr la covered by the 

“bill, it would he a'reascnccble ooristruation to aonolude that 

it ~5s .iAi;cndod to give the 1andowAer tho right, u~it-hout poxmit, to use we.tcr.impounded by the dam, S%ch 5.5 the construction whio:h %,-e plaoo on the bill, 

A.9 wo have horotofore mentioned, it was hold in . * 

Opinion 1~0. O-1993 thet the proviso in Eactica 16 OS tJx? 1917 

aot vat8 otill in force end 6SSoet. It is mnifost th.at tho 

tams. of the 1941 5ot are at vorianoo withthose of 5uoh pr,ovieo. It must, therofore.-o bedetermined whether suchproviso~ 

io rfipealed by tJm -Ititer aot. w;‘o QUOtO the? fc;llOlYiA~ fl?Xl 

Opinion MO. 0-1933: 

Vho mption of tJx3 1925 Act exprooses a 

&onoral purpo50, aa icniorited b;r the uAd%rsOoriAf;; 

it n.emos Section 16 of the 1917 Aot a5 cllo OS thoco 

amended, end 60tS out t!lo 5ubjOot Eattar OS the 

mondxent in dotail. The cnptiou. aoao not otate 

~thnt Eection 16'3.0 expra5el.y ropee!cd; v&other it 

WQS ao intendedmust bo dotemined boS+oso your 

sooojnd gucetion oan be correctly ensrierod. sol+ 

tion 5, properly construed, oovcre-the c&me subjcot ma.tixr as the. proviso of section 16. ;qparontlp, the Lo&&2turo intcnd.ad that S5otion 

5 sJm~l& Cake the place of tho provQo, oAd that 

it olxmld repesl thnt xuch of Gcotion 16, by vi.Xtuo' OS ;;'ecticn 7$. the ro-p:nlill~ ollmm or the 

1923 Act, 

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: 

., 

Honorable John 1% Ptitohett; P&g3 5 

*SeotIon 5 being void, it aonnot hevc the 

effect of ~ro;rcnling tho proviso. YC is 0 nullity 

end bee no rzoro elfeot t.)Lhn iT it, bud nevtx! bcoa 

ConcolidstmI lJ;lr\omzltere v.KA.rby LUGbp:?%: (Corn. ;qp.) 237 5.X. 703 (roviol;~ 250 

&\Y. 476)1 Culberson V. &hfcrd,*118 5%)~. 431, :?- 

18 8.X. (20) sE5, sa Tl?x. Jur. 12.5; Ldwia' 3utb.e%+ 

~, 

lnAd.r)t.aiutory :ConstrWti6q Seo. 245~ Tarshall 

Y. State. 62 Crie. RG_rr 117, 13s 6.W. 759; * .” 

It is to be noted t&t &ction 6 Is f&!&r to l&G 

provlocl clauo of section 16 .in t;Jmt both prod& caly for 

thG oonstruotion of O. dcm 8nd sey cothillg ebiut the UXI of the 

iiqsUn&d mterr Therefcre, ES it w’cis stated in Opiniun Xo. 

o-1993, .appareAtlg it was the 10&31etive iAtPAt th&t Gsotion 6 

should lx&a the plGce c& the prcvieo 3ln*xe, azd t.k;at it cr!wuld 

rep& thtt muoh of YGctiorr 16 by Firtuc of Eeotioa 7 of the 

LO25 aot, the repealing clausae. 

. 

Ro~evcr, the~lP41 aot 1s F-O:% limited in its wording. 

ft provides thnt one m~ap oonstruct on his pro::ertg a d&m nad 

rcs&w?ir to impound ore contain not to cxcbw~fifiy awe-feet -- for &xtio a~_d_l_iveatook gurnoaos without the neocstjity of 

seourirg a per&t therefor. Not oniy Is tl;ere G reduction ia 

the nwbor bS GGrG-SGet, but tk-rs IS also d limftutic~ on 

the.usc:s $0 which the wter mey be jxt, In other wxdo, tl;e 

~only'situoticm where the terms of tk? 1941 act apply 16 

where iAn dem and raservofr a~ to'.jmpouOd.zot I-iore than 

fifty (ClO] ooro-feet of wetor and'the witGr is to be usod 

021~ for dmaetio and livoetock purposes. GGcJ3 tus act 

ropeal thG provisa Clause of Eectlon 16, or 000s It wrely 

limit l.t8 acops @e are inclined to the latter v5.G~. 

There,is no prokaio~ in tho 1941 act s~aoificolly 

xep0nliing eny other uot or statute, nor is t!xro e general 

rGgco.Xin5 clnc~e, licw~ovor, w%ethGr the 1941 act is considered 

elcre, v;ith no $rovision relating to the r6>GnJ. of fczmor 

lawo, OS \shetJier it itr co2sid~rec? cs t.&ing the pl~ao id Saction 5 of thy 1926 (XntkXn&tioA&~ 0. ?I, 2~~. CO. VI ~XGend, 

ci;cr; &P., 1015, 101 sj. w. !x4), so tkEt the goneral repealin8 olocso of the 1925 &ct would c~ply, thG rcti,at is ;kG 

8R!!z ; that is, prior 5intut~cr; co rcpwilod to the ei;tcAt of 

thee conrliot 0nl.y. wddia ot cl v. 'i‘crrsll, I.01 Tcxou 574, 

110 S.X. 4ixJ )Dcrry v. 

steto, 138 S.h. 759. 

Etate, im 8.K. 026; Pt.ir~hill v. 
. 

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Honoxchlo J&n 8. Pritdhott, Page 6 
~Iionomblc John 5. .Frltchett, ?asc 7 .' '. 
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'. '. 

Ylolatlon* Xf the water is wed for a &if&rent purpose, or if _' 

the damllppoundo core thw. fifty (50) acre-feet and lose tkaa 

'five hundred (500) sore-feet, the lendmmor car3tot .+plly 

USC the! public waters iq:oundcd tha;eby until he 6ccprcs e 

ponriit frorc, thq ?kcrd of Xator En&mm?, If he UYCS such 

water l:ithout u pernit, thm ha lo vJ.olotinS the law, end he r,ry 

bo proscouted. Artiolo 75x0, Xovisod CivS1 Statcteo, nr.d Axrticlo 

830, Penal Code. also ponolties could bo reoovarod unde:: 

Artiolas 752l. and 7522, Eevised Civil Statutes. Without passing 

on the F,cmMon of whothor the Le@lature could impose the duty 

of enforcJ.rqj thcsc articles o:l the &tornzp General, it is sufficimt to stnte tlint It hai not done so. ZoreZoro, the loaf11 

prosecuti~ officers two char&d with the enforao::ont oil mm. 

&rticle Y, Strction 21, Coustitutlon ol .?oxas; ~rticl.va 25-32, 

Codo of Cricrincl Procedum; J-5 'i'ox. Yur. 400. 

yicr trust that t?&e foro~oi~ dl~cusslc~~ setisfactor5.ly ansmz3 tho questions irr v:hich you are intcrcet;ed. 

APPXVEGAUG 21, 194% 

Glenn R, Lewiio 

AsGistant 

ATTORNZY GXKEHAL OF 'i'E;XAS