Nielson v. Sandberg

141 P.2d 696, 105 Utah 93, 1943 Utah LEXIS 8
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 27, 1943
DocketNo. 6555.
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 141 P.2d 696 (Nielson v. Sandberg) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nielson v. Sandberg, 141 P.2d 696, 105 Utah 93, 1943 Utah LEXIS 8 (Utah 1943).

Opinions

LARSON, Justice.

What new burdens can be imposed upon the servient estate, merely because of the existence of an easement? We are asked to review the answer to this question as given by the District Court of Washington County.

About 1866, the pioneers of Washington County established a Cotton Factory near St. George. To furnish power for this factory, water was diverted from Sand Hollow Wash, or Mill Creek, and taken in a ditch constructed for that purpose over part of the southeast quarter of Section 15, Township 42 South, Range 15 West of Salt Lake Base and Meridian, to a forbay where a penstock led down to the factory building. Part of these waters, not needed at the cotton factory were continued by a ditch from the forbay along the creek bank some distance where it furnished power for a grist mill, and flowed back into the creek bed. It was then diverted from the creek bed by another ditch and used by an irrigation company and individuals on their farms. In 1875, the quarter section above referred to was patented by one Whitehead which patent contained the usual reservations for

“any vested, and accrued water rights * * * and rights to ditches and reservoirs used in connection with such water rights as may be recognized and used by local customs, laws and decisions of the court.”

This patent covered the lands now embraced within the Washington Townsite Survey and the lands occupied by the cotton factory. The lands owned by plaintiff and here *97 inafter referred to as the swimming pool, and the lands of defendant, hereinafter referred to as the pasture are parts of the Washington Townsite Survey. The factory operated until 1901, and thereafter only periodically until 1920, when it closed permanently. The grist mill ceased operations in 1918. The water, however, continued to flow through the ditch across the pasture, as it had done previously, and emptied into the original creek bed from which it was diverted by the farmers. About 1909, defendant became the owner of Block 20' and Lot 27 of Washington Townsite 'Survey. Lot 27, herein designated as the Pasture is largely in the bottom of the wash, has some trees, grasses and bushes upon it, and is chiefly useable, and has always been used, as pasturage for domestic animals and poultry. Block 20, adjoining it on the west is on higher ground. Part of this is cultivated and here defendant has his home.

Plaintiff acquired Lot 6, Block 12, in the Townsite Survey, south of defendant’s property, and in 1926 built a swimming pool thereon. That year through the State Engineer’s office, he appropriated 4 C.F.S. of water from Sand Hollow Wash or Mill Creek, to be diverted at a point north of defendant’s property, conducted through the old factory ditch to the swimming pool, there used for swimming purposes, and then returned to the natural channel. In short, all plaintiff proposed to do was to make a non-consumptive use of the waters, which were flowing across defendant’s land in the ditch of the factory and mill. In 1940, plaintiff commenced this action in the District Court to enjoin defendant from letting his turkeys roam in and about the ditch over defendant’s property, alleging that the turkeys polluted the water so it was unfit for swimming pool purposes. The trial court enjoined defendant from running more than 70- head of turkeys on his lands. Defendant appeals. The following questions are presented:

First: Has plaintiff a right of way or easement for a ditch over the lands of defendant, the pasture?

*98 Second: If he has such right of way or easement does that give him the right to have the water come to his swimming pool, pure and uncontaminated?

Third: Can the owner of an easement change the nature of his use so as to put added burdens upon the servient estate?

We will consider them in order. As to the first question, plaintiff does not contend that he ever obtained by purchase, or eminent domain, or by grant or prescription, any easement over the pasture for the conveyance of water. He bases his right upon two grounds. He contends that since the ditch ran over the pasture before patent, the reservation of existing easements by the patent, created an easement in favor of any one who thereafter wished to avail themselves of existing ditches; also contends that since the factory and mill had a ditch over the pasture, 100-1-7, U. C. A. 1943, gives plaintiff an easement right therein without the consent and against the will of the owner of the servient estate, and without compensation therefor. The patent to the pasture reserved an easement over the lands for: rights as had then accrued and vested. It is not reserved for anyone who may thereafter decide that he wanted to convey some water over the land. Says Kinney in Vol. II, 2d Ed., of his work on Irrigation and Water Rights, Section 933;

“* * * any vested and accrued water rights for mining, agriculture, manufacturing, or other purposes, and rights to ditches and reservoirs used in connection with such water rights as may be recognized by * * * law * * (Italics added.)

While this reserves an easement, it is only reserved for water rights which at time of patent had accrued and vested, and for ditches used in connection with such water

“It is only the right to, or the right of way for, such ditches, canals, or reservoirs as are used in connection with a vested water right that the owner of the latter can successfully claim. Therefore unless the *99 claimant to the right of way first acquires a vested and accrued water right, he is not entitled to an easement over the public lands for his ditch, canal or other work.” Nippel v. Forker, 26 Colo. 74, 56 P. 577, affirming 9 Colo. App. 106, 47 P. 766; Clear Creek, etc., Co. v. Kilkenny, 5 Wyo. 38, 36 P. 819; Hobart v. Ford, 6 Nev. 77; 40 Land Dec. 431; Noteware v. Stearns, 1 Mont. 311, 4 Mor. Min. Rep. 650; Broder v. Natoma W. & M. Co., 101 U. S. 274, 25 L. Ed. 790, affirming 50 Cal. 621; Tynon v. Despain, 22 Colo. 240, 43 P. 1039; Childs v. Sharai, 8 Idaho 378, 69 P. 111; Kinney Sec. 931.

After lands have once passed into private ownership rights of way can only be acquired in accord-anee with the laws of the state. Kinney Sec. 935.

An interesting sidelight is. reflected; it was held by the Secretary of Interior that the right of way provisions of the Act of 1866, never applied to rights of way for power purposes. Kern River Co., 38 Land Dec. 302.

Plaintiff contends that he has an easement over the pasture by virture of 100-1-7 U. C. A., which provides:

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Bluebook (online)
141 P.2d 696, 105 Utah 93, 1943 Utah LEXIS 8, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nielson-v-sandberg-utah-1943.