**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;cunry21, 1 in rttrrpavte to the followln

? seation 6 OSA&- mAe of FexM.”
youF Feqttest

in ow opmal fo. O-PO5 ova-, upat oaref'ul reoamlAeratl<n ve that OUF asflFA8t1vealmrer to

7615, Verncm*aAnnotateACivil 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 districtwho, duringmy part of the pretxedfns ualendaryear, ovned OF operatedany 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 furnishedby the Board, a Aetalled statementshwlng the quantityof vatep which has been derived from such well, and the aharaaterOS 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 lmgotat1aIOF 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 lnjurlouato vegetationor agrir3ultxire m eacsaplng trOa the fttt?ata

in which fomd into any othesvater beax-lng strata or onto the suvfaoe oithe ghou1d.HonorebleC. 9. 

### Oluk, Chainma, Page 3

"Section9. All the iongoing dectlomaam declaredto bs e ually applloableto wells hemstofore dHl.leA,B

ug or excavated,and rells hem

### aftei~ to be drilled,dug or exsavated.
"sectian4. The Board of Water mtganwrs ehallsWerule8 sadregulatlars Sartheeffeetlv~ enforcementof the foregoingf5ectlaa8, sad shall efiialmtly ellrorce saae.
"3ectlon5. If any orike* of any wall desurlbed in any of the foregoingSsotlats shall Par a period 01 thirty days fall or refuse to securelyand 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 Dollar8nor more fihsa Five liutaAreA

(4500.00

1 1 Ik Zoe for e8oh and l vuy Aa that ho ahall.

f'ai m refuse to plug, sase 

### or sap saidroll 

### afterthe expirationo? tke tirw above stated,and each day that said ovnev so f'alle or refuses to plug, ease **or** 

### sap said ve12 shallbe aonsiAereda separateoffense.
"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 

### vatersin thLsBtatsand shall abs and szUoroo 

### apwopriate rules and regulrtiam tZhemtorand the spealslcetlu,smPat1al of speolalpwws k&d duties berein shallnot be oonstrwd to w the raid BoarA other parers ad dutiesneoesnary to the mrrylng out of the pT es o? this &t 

### as exprsssed

ln Ssotlawi

1 and hemof. Failurefor a psrl.od of niors

than thirtydays to acuply

vith any order 

### of said Board iosusd in pursuance

of ths powersand Autleaher&n created shall subject the pamem SO vlolatiag said order to the penaltiesaawmrated in 8eot1lA 5 horeoi.~



## I

.,p

,

t Ramvable 0. 8. Glark,Gbalrmm .mb

Aa lnspestlaoof Chapter 1 Title 1.28, Ven~a~~s GiVil StotUtSS, ShOVS that AFti 7615 **18 WrSl~**  **8** PStFt of aoxqmbamlvs leglslaticmsaas%A to govuln the taking of vater frcim

artesian~~118. In support of its authority to ~ks the requirementstmt3.med In tho seaomi qwstlao the Board of Uater Eaglneersvould have to stsnd upcm the rule aMnP paver oanferredby salA Artlclo 8k8a, waidul by say other statutorylav.

Rxuept as to the pl or eaalttg of veils vhfoh prodwevater conta3nlngmlne other substMoes lttjurlous to vegetatlcmQC 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 generalAet3laraticas of publfo pollo~, 0th~ thsn to authorirethe making of orders, rules and mgulat1otltJ

look3ngCOthe enforoemeiltorSeotlcm2. The laforrrt$aamqulmAtobe oonta&aedlnastatemntumplyZng vlth Artlals 7615 quite olearlywould 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 saidArtlole 848a. St la true t&t the leglslatlve bodJ may glvo auth~ls&tlat to seleotedlastrumatalit~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 PW**  vlsla~,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 FaaasmRefg. 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 SupremeGourtinthe t olted ease re quotet

"Ihtheabsaos ofavell-def&~A 8tsnAard or rule Sn the statutesde-the publlo pollay of the statewith respeot to the nlneml interest,the RailroadQomlsslon would bs vlthout authority to pmtmtlgate&lea, regulatit.ms, or orders rel.atlng to the pratsationof 03.1 and *a= The pover to pass ZIvs msts vith the Lsglslatum, MA that pma ssn%%ot be dolegateAto sow c~ssleu or 

### othertrtbunal.*BaaorubleC. 9. Clark, Chalnsm, Page 5

upon further ccnslderatlon of the above prlnol 18s ve do not belleve that Seotiona1, 4 and 6, of Article 8&h. can be given the effect of authorizingthe 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 questionmd now answer the sasm in the negative.

Yours very truly
ATTOR%RY

Ql0BRALOF TEXAS



## James P. Eapfi Assistant

BY
W8tej