Opinion ID: 2638777
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The United States Holds An Express Federal Reserved Water Right to the Minimum Quantity of Water Necessary to Fulfill the Purpose of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area Act.

Text: The Hells Canyon National Recreation Area was established in 1975 by passage of the HCNRA Act, Pub.L. No. 94-199, 89 Stat. 1117 (1975) (codified at 16 U.S.C. §§ 460gg(1)-(13)). The lands and waters of what is now the HCNRA were withdrawn from the public domain by the HCNRA Act for the purpose of assur[ing] that the natural beauty, and historical and archeological values of the Hells Canyon area ... are preserved for this and future generations, and that the recreational and ecologic values and public enjoyment of the area are thereby enhanced .... HCNRA Act § 1(a), 16 U.S.C. § 460gg(a). The designation of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area under the HCNRA Act constituted a reservation of land. Additionally, Congress expressly reserved water for the HCNRA. Section 1(b) of the HCNRA Act provides: The Hells Canyon National Recreation Area (hereinafter referred to as the recreation area), which includes the Hells Canyon Wilderness (hereinafter referred to as the wilderness), the components of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System designated in section 3 of this Act, and the wilderness study areas designated in subsection § 8(d) of this Act, shall comprise the lands and waters generally depicted on the map entitled Hells Canyon National Recreation Area dated September 1975, which shall be on file and available for public inspection in the office of the Chief, Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture. The Secretary of Agriculture (hereinafter referred to as the Secretary), shall, as soon as practicable, but no later than eighteen months after the date of enactment of this Act, publish a detailed boundary description of the recreation area, the wilderness study areas designated in subsection 8(d) of this Act, and the wilderness established in section 2 of this Act in the Federal Register. HCNRA Act § 1(b), 16 U.S.C. § 460gg(b) (emphasis added). The HCNRA Act clearly states that the HCNRA is comprised of the land and waters within the area. In reserving waters within the boundaries of the HCNRA, Congress exempted from the reservation the mainstem of the Snake River and all tributaries upstream and downstream from the boundaries of the HCNRA. Section 6 of the HCNRA Act provides: (a) No provision of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act [16 U.S.C.A. §§ 1271 et seq. ], nor of this Act, nor any guidelines, rules, or regulations issued hereunder, shall in any way limit, restrict, or conflict with present and future use of the waters of the Snake River and its tributaries upstream from the boundaries of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area created hereby, for beneficial uses, whether consumptive or nonconsumptive, now or hereafter existing, including, but not limited to, domestic, municipal, stockwater, irrigation, mining, power, or industrial uses. (b) No flow requirements of any kind may be imposed on the waters of the Snake River below Hells Canyon Dam under the provisions of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act [16 U.S.C.A. §§ 1271 et seq. ], of this Act, or any guidelines, rules, or regulations adopted pursuant thereto. HCNRA Act § 6(a) and (b), 16 U.S.C. §§ 460gg-3(a) and (b)(emphasis added). The disclaimer provisions contained in section 6 apply to the mainstem of the Snake River and to tributaries of the Snake River upstream from the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and do not include tributaries originating within the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Similarly, section 6(b) disclaims a federal reserved water right to the waters of the Snake River below Hells Canyon Dam. HCNRA Act § 6(b), 16 U.S.C. §§ 460gg-3(b). In sum, the express reservation of water in the HCNRA Act applies only to the tributaries of the Snake River originating in the Hells Canyon National Recreational Area.