OFFICE OF l-HE AITORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

F-“=- _ 

HmorableC.S.Cl6rk,ChalxW& 

State BoaHI oi I&item Bqlneem 

Austin, 'i'exaa 

DeaF sat 

Ott Nb;cunry 21, 1 

in rttrrpavte to the followln 

? seation 6 OS A&- 

mAe of FexM.” 

youF Feqttest in ow opmal fo. O-PO5 

ova-, upat oaref'ul reoamlAeratl<n ve 

that OUF asflFA8t1ve almrer to 

7615, Verncm*a AnnotateA Civil Statutes, 
gcmx'ableC.S.CZrrk, ChaiZ'=an,Page2 

"On 01 before the first day OS Marah of 

each year, every pePem, aosooiatim of persQDI8, 

corporatiau, water lmprovemnt or lrrigatlan 

district who, during my part of the pretxedfns 

ualendar year, ovned OF operated any aWmtlatt 

veil for any purpow other than that of Aomertiz 

use, sball f+urnlsh, \rrAer oath, to the Board of 

Water Bqlnoel?a, upon blanka to be furnished by 

the Board, a Aetalled statementshwlng the 

quantity of vatep which has been derived from 

such well, and the aharaater OS u6e to whioh 

6ame ha8 been appUeA, togetbervithtthr uhange 

b lW81 Or If&l? UbiO Of 8ad VO& urd if 

used ln irrlgatlon, the aareage and field of 

saohcrop, t~et~awlthrruahrddltlm~ data 

as the Board msy requln." 

Artlule 8h&, Veruat’8 Annotated P-1 QoAe, reads 

a8 follwst 

%3eat1at 1. It 1s heu~bf Aeulmd to be 

the @lay ettd duty of the Texan State BoarA 

Of w8t.F -0OM t0 m ti WS&l’OS Z’Uhll 

urd regulrtiana for the aatmommtlon, pmteot1m, 

preservatlm and diatributlon of all umAea?ground, 

Subt-OW mid ~rC3ObtQtg V&era of l Qew 

kind and nature vhataoevmr m1tuat.A vlthla the 

llttllta of the state of TexM. 

"se0t1oll 2. Every vater roll Ar~lleA, dug, 

or excavated in We Statevhlahemmmtera 

salt vater OF water 0-w mlaeral or other 

ttub8tanc.a lllJurlou8 to lmgotat1aI OF agrlailtura #hall bo by the euno~ of ulA wall rooumly 

plugged or meA, so that the ult ateE or 

otheovater oantalnlngmineralo~ othw subrtari069 lnjurlou4.t to vagetatlm cap l grloultwa eball 

be oonfined to the strrta in whlbh found, and 

said casing or plwg shall be Aam ln suoh 

8uzmir a8 to effectively prevcaxt sald salt vater 

or voter cootainlng minelur or other substmwe8 

lnjurloua to vegetation or agrir3ultxire m eacsaplng trOa the fttt?ata in which fomd into any 

othes vater beax-lng strata or onto the suvfaoe 

oithe ghou1d. 
Honoreble C. 9. Oluk, Chainma, Page 3 

"Section 9. All the iongoing dectloma am 

declared to bs e ually applloable to wells hemstofore dHl.leA, B ug or excavated, and rells hemaftei~ to be drilled, dug or exsavated. 

"sectian 4. The Board of Water mtganwrs 

ehallsWerule8 sadregulatlars Sartheeffeetlv~ enforcement of the foregoing f5ectlaa8, sad 

shall efiialmtly ellrorce saae. 

"3ectlon 5. If any orike* of any wall 

desurlbed in any of the foregoing Ssotlats shall 

Par a period 01 thirty days fall or refuse to 

securely and p~operlg plug, case or cap the sam 

after having boat ordered to do so by the Board 

of Uater Xaglnee~s, he shall be deomsA guilty of 

a a&sAtussanor snd shall be subject to a fine ot 

not less than Ten ($10.00 Dollar8 nor more fihsa 

Five liutaAreA (4500.00 

1 

Ik 1 Zoe for e8oh a nd l vuy 

Aa that ho ahall. f'ai m refuse to plug, sase 

or sap said roll after the expiration o? tke tirw 

above stated, and each day that said ovnev so 

f'alle or refuses to plug, ease or sap said ve12 

shallbe aonsiAereda separate offense. 

"seotitxt 6. The Board or water lktgl2leMs 

shall do all tMngs neoeasary for the uawitmtlaa, protect&an, preservatlca aA distrlbutlen 

ot underground, subterM?asrHr MA peroolatlag 

vaters in thLs Btats and shall abs and szUoroo 

apwopriate rules and regulrtiam tZhemtor and 

the spealslc etlu,smPat1al ofspeolal pwws k&d 

duties berein shall not be oonstrwd to w 

the raid BoarA other parers ad duties neoesnary to the mrrylng out of the p 

T 

es o? this 

&t as exprsssed ln Ssotlawi 1 and hemof. 

Failure for a psrl.od of niors than thirty days 

to acuply vith any order of said Board iosusd 

in pursuance of ths powers and Autlea her&n 

created shall subject the pamem SO vlolatiag 

said order to the penalties aawmrated in 8eot1lA 5 horeoi.~ 

I . 
,p 

, 

t 

Ramvable 0. 8. Glark, Gbalrmm .mb 

Aa lnspestlao of Chapter 1 Title 1.28, Ven~a~~s 

GiVil StotUtSS, ShOVS that AFti 7615 18 WrSl~ 8 PStFt 

of aoxqmbamlvs leglslaticm saas%A to govuln the taking 

of vater frcim artesian ~~118. In support of its authority 

to ~ks the requirement stmt3.med In tho seaomi qwstlao 

the Board of Uater Eaglneers vould have to stsnd upcm the 

rule aMnP paver oanferred by salA Artlclo 8k8a, waidul 

by say other statutory lav. 

Rxuept as to the pl or eaalttg of veils vhfoh 

prodwevater conta3nlngmlne other substMoes lttjurlous to vegetatlcm QC agriculture, Artlale 858a establishes 

no prlmsry 5tada~ds by wbloh the Board of ItWev Ehg&mer; 

1s to be guided. Seotlma 1, 4 and 6 of sa%A Artlale 85&, 

aat bo taken cmly as general Aet3laraticas of publfo pollo~, 

0th~ thsn to authorire the making of orders, rules and mgulat1otltJ look3ngCOthe enforoemeiltorSeotlcm2. The laforrrt$aamqulmAtobe oonta&aedlnastatemntumplyZng 

vlth Artlals 7615 quite olearly would not be of asristanoo 

to the Board vltb ns at to its duties in commatim vlth 

h0tm 2 or hem0 E 8a. Buoh statsamts vouldbe of 

valw to the Board aily in looking to a diffemmt purpose 

than to require oompllsnoe vftb Seotlaa 2 of said Artlole 

848a. St la true t&t the leglslatlve bodJ may glvo auth~ls&tlat to seleoted lastrumatalit~en or adatlalotratlve boAlea 

*to fill up the Aetpils' (Gfrief Srtatlo J&r&all in Uaymsa vs. 

southard, lo whoat 1, 6 1. EA. 2531, after the privr~ statAsbrAs hrve beim set. !%Ut, W&P t&6 ditiSi.0 Of v PWvlsla~, Artiole 2, of our Gmstitutloar the legislatw 

emnot delegate8 its parer to mke the i# Itself. Rallmad 

Gatwlsslm vs. H. & T.G. 8. Go. 38 S.Y. 750 0.0. d; 8. ?. 

Ry. Qo. vs. State, 120 9. U. d8, at p. 1Odl Faaasm Refg. 

co. vs. BUM, 293 u. 8. 388, rg L. lbd. 446; ~~~oabs tn. 

Ual.l& Gowty, 136 

Refg. Go., 83 S.W. 7 

Y. (2d) 975; Brom TS. Bmble Gil & 

id) 935, at 

Eli 

940-941. Pronthe oplalaa of the Supreme Gourtinthe t olted ease re quotet 

"Ihtheabsaos ofavell-def&~A 8tsnAard 

or rule Sn the statutes de-the publlo 

pollay of the state with respeot to the nlneml 

interest, the Railroad Qomlsslon would bs vlthout authority to pmtmtlgate &lea, regulatit.ms, 

or orders rel.atlng to the pratsation of 03.1 and 

*a= The pover to pass ZIvs msts vith the Lsglslatum, MA that pma ssn%%ot be dolegateA to 

sow c~ssleu or other trtbunal.* 
Baaoruble C. 9. Clark, Chalnsm, Page 5 

upon further ccnslderatlon of the above prlnol 18s 

ve do not belleve that Seotiona 1, 4 and 6, of Article 8&h. 

can be given the effect of authorizing the Bomd of Water 

lhginee~s to require reports like those mentioned ln Article 

7615 to be filed by the ovners or opemtors of vater vells 

vhlah are not arteelau. We, therefore, wlthdrav our prevlow anaver to your aeoond question md now answer the sasm 

in the negative. 

Yours very truly 

ATTOR%RY Ql0BRAL OF TEXAS 

James P. Eapfi 

Assistant 

BY 

W8tej