Court Opinion

ID: 9625702
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 07:48:19.76259+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:06:13.687237
License: Public Domain

McINTYRE, Chief Justice
(concurring).
I concur in the opinion of Mr. Justice Guthrie. However, I think there is an equally important reason for reinstating and affirming the decision of the State Land Board, which may not be apparent from Justice Guthrie’s opinion.
Since 1909, it has been the law in Wyoming that water, “being always the property of the State,” rights to its use attach to the land; and ordinarily such rights cannot be detached from the land. See Ch. 68, § 1, Wyoming S.L.1909; and § 41-2, W.S.1957.
Although certain water rights were acquired by Herbert King in 1908, the leasing law in existence at that time provided water rights developed by a lessee of state lands should, upon the expiration of the lease and its renewals, “become the property of the state,” and not be considered as being improvements to be paid for by a subsequent lessee or purchaser. Ch. 79, § 24, Wyoming S.L.1890.
Therefore, regardless of whether we consider the laws in effect at the time rights were acquired by King, or the general law in effect since 1909, water rights developed on state land are and have been “property of the state.” This means, even if King had attempted to transfer water rights to White, separate from the land, he could not have done so.