The opinion
26
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable C. 8. Clark, Chainan
Stat0 Board of hglrmere
‘n’atsr
Auurtin,Tsxar
Dear Sir! opinion lo. O-3606
other thau
arts or rtatr
rs under the
Annotated
wollr, othm thau
annual reporta with
ooverlug the iuf6flu-
6, y.A.Q.B., unbr a
ed by tie Board pw-
u aaib Board uudar the
7 6 Vemoa’r Annotated C%Vi%Btatuter
rradm asJ?ii$$”
d-G616. iWailed strrtdmmt frrmlclbad
*OR or batore the ilrrt iluy of -oh of eaoh
every person, asroolat,fion o? pereons
27
flonorableC. S. Clark. Chairman, Page e
during any part of the preoedlng oalendar year,
owed or operated any arterlan well for any pur-
pore other than that of domsstlo us., shall fur-
nish, under oath, to the Board oi Hater Englneercl,
upon blanks to be furnl4hed by the Board, a da-
tailed rtateaaat showLn$ the qumatlty of water whlsh
ha. been derived from s\loh~411, and th. 0haraat.r
of use to whloh same has been applied together
with the change in level of water tabi. of aal6
rell, and if used tn Irrigation,the acreage and
yield of eaoh orop, together with suoh additional
data as the Board may reqolre.*
WI are of the oplnlon that your first quertlon
should be lnewered ln the negative. By Its express term.
thle article appllrs only to the owner or operator of an
arterlan well. It oan be given no other Interpretation.
Ye quote from 39 tex. Jut. 186-189 an follows:
Vhe maxle
(the expression
14 raid to be a loglail, senalbl. and 60-d rule of
ooartruetlon;and it ha4 been frlrquently applied
in the oonstraotlonof statute8 as 91411a. In the
lnteroretatlonof oth4r doaumentr. The maxlr rlgnl-
the e x p r erlentloa
Sler th a t 4 or emaeration of one
peroon, thing, oonsequenoeor olarr Is tantamount
to an express lxolurlon of all othrr4. And when It
la appll4abl.,afflrmatlreword0 Imply a negative
a? what Is not afflrms4, negative words lqlr an
affIrmatlreof what is not negatlred; and a pm~l-
rlon llmltlng a thing to be done In a partlaular
form or manner lnpllee that it mh4ll not be done
oth.rwls4.a
In answer to your flrrt qu48tlon. you are rerpeot-
fully adtired that owners of water wells other than artesian
wells are not requlrmd by Artisle ‘7616, Vetaon’r Annotated
Civil Statutes, to file annual reports or rtat4mentswith
the Board of Water Engineers.
.
28
Honorable C. 9. Clark, Chairman, Page S
Aatm 1931, 42nd Legislature.Chapter 261, Sea-
tlons 1 and 6 (codlfledas Artlola 646a, Vernon*8 Penal
Code), read as follows:
*9.0. 1. It is hereby dealared to be the
policy and duty of the Taxa State Roard of Mater
Engineer8 to make and enforoe ntlee and regula-
tion‘ for the aon(1enatlon,protection,prerar-
ration and distributionof all underground, rub-
terrmean aud peroolatlngwater8 of every kind
an& nature whateoerer situated within the limits
of the Stats of Texas.
a +l l
*Sea . 6. The Board of Uater lihglneerr8hall
do all things neoessary for the aonsamatlon, pro-
tection, preernatlon and dtrtrIbutlon of under-
ground, subterraneanand peroolatlngwaters In
this State and rhall make and euforoe appropriate
mleo and regulation8thsrefor and the speolflo
enumerationof rpeoial powerr and but148 herein
8hall not be OonetNod to deny the raid Board
other powers and duties n8oessary to the aarwlng
out of the purposes of this Aot as 8xpreeoed ln
Sootlana 1 and 6 hereof. Failure for a p4riod
of aore than thirty days to omrply vith any order
of raid board Issued ln pursuanoe of the power8
and dutler herein oreated ohall 8ubjeat the par-
8on eo riolatlng said order to the penaltier enu-
g&ted in Seotlon 6 haTeof. (Aah 1931, 42nd
-, p. 432, oh. 261.)
Thus, It Is seen that alnas 1931, It tin 0xpraealJ
bean the pollay and dutl of the State through the Boaxd of
Water Engineers to promulgate Nle8 and regulation8ior the
laon8ervatlon,protaotion, preservation and dlstrlbutlonof
,~subterraneanaad peroolatlngwaters of m
(EIppha8Is ourr) That thin etatute 18
'there aan be no doibt.
We quote from 44 Tex. Jur. 25 as follows:
*In the absence of anjy aldenae to the oon-
trary, It may be presumed that water obtained by
29
Baaomble C.~ 8. Clark, Chairman, Pqe 4
exoavatlng the earth Is ordinarily peroolatlng
water."
The oamc of liourton& T.C.F.y.Co.
t. East, W Tern.
147, fX%9-W. 279, ertabllrheothe aostmonlaw rule of thr
right of oaptum am to undergroundraters In thlt state.
Under thle niLe even though a well drains all the water from
another well on adjaasnt property, the owner of the moon6
well hm@ no re0oTery; it Is "damnum lbrqus 1nJurIa.a See
also Judklmre1. Miller, 960 S.V. 690; Terns Co. T. (Plddlngr,
148 S.W. 1149.
Is the right of aapturr of undergrounduaterm rub
Jeot to rcaronableregulation by the State when In the Interest
of ooncervatlon,preservation,etc., apoh regulation Ir neaeg-
sarr? Ye am of the oplalon that It Is.
A olear analogr to the regulationo? rlghhtoin under-
ground waters la found In the regulation of rlghte In oil and
gas. The rule of oapture 10 equally applloable to 011 and
gas flowing beneath the eurfaoe. Olllette T. Wltehell et al,
214 6.x. 619; Prairie 011 & Gas Co. at al T. X16-Kaaeatl Oil
& Gas Co., I?64B.U. 260; Texas PaCllle Coal b 011 Co. T.
Comanahe Duke 011 Co., 2?4 6.U. 193, 296 6.W. 664. P*terson
at al T. OnTee 011 Co. et al, ~87S.V. (2dQ)S67 66 S.Y. (86)
781; Brown et al (1. Humble 011 0 Refining Co., is6S.W. (6d)
966* General Wade Oil Co. 6% al T. Iiarrlret ux 101 S.Y.
(24 109dT Thespaon et al v. Coa8olId8ted6as Otilltiea Cor-
poration, Jo0 U.S. 66, 81 L.Ed. 610. It Is settled br the
drolrlons of the oourlof Texas that the right of oapture,
aa applied to oil and ga8, 18 eubbjeotto reasonable reg&UtIon.
Ue quote from the aaee of Paterson et al T. Grayoe
Oil Co. et xl, 67 S.Y. 6d 667 (Af?Ined 98 6.W. Bd 761) as
follow‘:
a * * l
*Won though It aould be eald that prior to
the adoption of the statater resting in the Railroad
Commlrslon the powers therein enumeratedand the
adoption of Rule 40 bg the eommlselon,the oommoa-
law rule am announoed In flouston& T.C.Ry.Go. 1.
honorable C. 9. Clark, Chairun, Page 5
East, 98 Tex. 140, 81 S.W. 279, 66 L.R.A. 738, 107
Am. St. Rep. 620, 4 Ann. Cae. 827, would be appll-
Gable to the production of oil by a leaseholderto
the same extent as the produotlon of vater from a
well drilled which would exhaust the eupply OS an
adJoinIng property owner, yet we believe that th
lnaotment of those statutse and the adoption of
Rule 40 by the RaIlroad Co~mlrelonwould hare the
effeot to ohange that oommon-lawrule aa applloable
to the proauatlon of 011 and gae anb that the same
are valid, In that thelr &feet la mwoly to pro-
trot the right of blfferent lease or tltls holderr
in the enJovment OS thelr ooequal rights to aoquln
oil from a common reaenolr.
The Suprere.Courtin the oaae of Brows et al '1.
Humble 011 L Refln¶.w Oo., 83 S.W. (26) 938, had the Sollow-
lag tfauyr
*Owlag to the peoullar oharao~terlrtioe of oil
and gas, the foregoing rule of ownership of 011 an6
pslln plaoe rhould be oonslderebIn oonneotlonwith
the law of aaptlrre. This rule gives the rlght ts
produoe all of the oil and gas that ~111 flov out
of the veil on one'8 land; and this lr a propcrrtJ
right . And It ir limited only b7 the phJmlaal poe-
rlbi2itr of the abjolnlag landowner dlmlnlshlngthe
oil and gas under one's land br the exerolre of the
same right of oapture, The following deoleione dlr-
OUBB the lau of aapture aa applied in this state:
StephennsCounty v. #Id-Kansas 011 & (PaaGo., 113 Tax.
160, 254 S.Y. 2Q0, 29 A.L.R. 668; If.&T.C.Ry.Co. 1.
Eart, 98 Tax. 146, 81 S.Y. 279, 66 L.&A. 738, 107
Am. St. Rep. 620, 4 AM. Car. 827; Pralrir 011 & Qar
Co. Y. Stats (T'er. Corn. App.) 2Sl S.U. 1088, 1089.
Both ruler are subjsot to remlrtlon under the oollaq
power of a state. (!Smphasir ours)
lib. c*
-.
::a
Honorable C. 9. Clark, Chairman, Page 6
You will notloe that among the authorltlee cited
by the court appears the Fast aase whlah 18 the prlnolpal
case defining v&tar rights In thle State In thin conneotlon.
Upon the bnhlo of the authorltles heretofore olted,
It ie the opinion of this department that the Ttate nay lm-
pose reauonable regulations for the prerervatlon and conser-
vation of underground, subterranean, and peroolatlng water8
within this State.
In anewer to your uecond question, therefore, you
are respectfully advl*e& that under Aote 1931, 42nd Leglnla-
ture, Chapter 261, the Soar& of Water Engineers rnw raqulre
of ovnercr of uater vella, other than artesian, annual reports
covering the same information requlre4 by Article 7615, V.A.C.S.,
of owner8 of arteelan wells, If In the exercise of sound dis-
oretlon the Board deteralnee that nuch report6 are ensentlal
for the *aonservatlon, protection, precervatlon an8 bie-
trlbutlon* of the underground, eubterranean, and percolating
watsre of this State.
Very truly your8
ATTORNEYG!ZXER4LOF TEXAS
Jamer P. Hart
Assletant