Red Lake Fishing & Hunting Club v. Burleson

219 S.W.2d 115, 1949 Tex. App. LEXIS 1638
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 27, 1949
DocketNo. 2830
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 219 S.W.2d 115 (Red Lake Fishing & Hunting Club v. Burleson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Red Lake Fishing & Hunting Club v. Burleson, 219 S.W.2d 115, 1949 Tex. App. LEXIS 1638 (Tex. Ct. App. 1949).

Opinion

TIREY, Justice.

This is an appeal from an order (non-jury) denying plaintiff’s application for writ of injunction. There is no statement of facts. The facts are without dispute and we will state those pertinent to this discussion.

The plaintiff, Red Lake Fishing & Hunting Club, a corporation, owned a 400 acre tract of land in Freestone county, on which an earthen dam had been constructed across a natural water course which impounded [116]*116water that covered approximately 150 acres of land. About fifty stockholders built and now maintain - substantial camp lodges on the 400 acre tract of land near 'the lake. The defendants own a tract of land immediately south of and adjacent to said 400 acre tract. In January, 1947, defendants built an earthen dam three-fourths of a mile south of Red Lake dam across the same water course. Defendants’ dam has a spillway at each end, allowing excess water to escape back into the water course. This dam impounded the excess waters of Red Lake and all the other surface waters immediately south of the Red Lake dam and this water backed up in a, northerly direction and crossed the north line of defendants’ tract and spread on to a portion of the property belonging to the plaintiff. The Red Lake Hunting & Fishing Club filed this suit for damages and injunctive relief in June, 1947, and sought a temporary in-’ junction against defendants for the alleged injury and alleged threatened injury caused by the waters being backed up on plaintiff’s land. Tlie court denied any relief at the temporary hearing and at the hearing of the trial on the merits.

At the request of the plaintiff the court filed findings of fact and conclusions of law, the pertinent parts of which we quote:

“13. That at the time of the trial (on the merits) of this case, the waters impounded by the construction of the Burle-son Dam extended north of the north line of the defendant’s tract of land and onto approximately three-fourths of an acre of plaintiff’s land.

“14. At the boundary line between plaintiff’s tract of land and defendant’s tract of land, where such line crosses Jolly Cole Slough, the water was and is 184 feet in width. The depth of the water in Jolly Cole Slough Channel, at such boundary line, is 4½ feet; and the channel of such Slough at such point is one foot in depth, the water on the banks of such Slough, at such boundary line, being 3½ feet deep; and such water narrowing in depth to the water’s edge of that portion of the water covering plaintiff’s land.

“15. That tire water impounded by the construction of Burleson Lake Dam at the time of the trial of this cause, lacked about 15 feet of reaching the base of Red Lake Dam; and that if the water of Burleson Lake was caused to rise 1J4 feet higher than the present level of such water in such lake, then the water of such Burleson Lake would reach the base of Red Lake Dam.

“16. That with the waters of Burleson Lake being on a level with the lowest spillway of said Burleson Dam, there is no way for the waters in Burleson Lake to recede off the land of plaintiff, except as such waters of Burleson Lake is lowered by evaporation, and except as the waters of such Lake are lowered by the water escaping through the 8- inch pipe extending from such Lake through such Burleson Dam at its base.

“17. That the area of some % acre of plaintiff’s land covered by reason of the waters being caused to back up from the Burleson Dam, is the usual land found along spring branches and marshy creeks— that is, the same as liberally sprinkled with small trees, saplings, vines, underbrush, etc.

“18. That there was no evidence introduced upon the trial of this cause as to the amount of plaintiff’s injury or damages suffered by reason of the complained of acts of the defendant, except that it was shown as to the extent of the land of plaintiff (% of an acre) covered by the waters backing up from the Burleson Dam, as above found and stated.

“19. That the evidence in this case is wholly insufficient to show any injury to the Red Lake Dam, or any threatened injury to such dam by reason of the acts of the defendant above found.

“20. That whatever injury the plaintiff has suffered by reason of the waters being caused to back up and cover %th of , an acre of plaintiff’s said tract of land, can be measured in money, and is not irreparable.

“21. That although plaintiff’s allegation in its petition, are those seeking prohibitory injunctive, relief, yet such petition, as well as the evidence, showing that at the time of the filing of plaintiff’s suit the Burleson Dam had then been completed, there is no injunctive relief that the court .could grant the plaintiff, except in the nature of a mandatory injunction.

[117]*117“22. The defendant did not know when the Burleson Dam was built or constructed that its height would cause water to back up in Jolly Cole Slough beyond their north line and on to any part of plaintiff’s land; the defendant, S. A. Burleson, having consulted two surveyors with reference to the height of such dam, prior to its construction, and it appears from the evidence that he received different reports from such surveyors as to the proper height of such dam. After the dam was finished and rains came, Burleson then discovered that he had the spillway to his lake and dam higher than he intended. He then lowered the spillway about two feet, and subsequent to the hearing on plaintiff’s application for temporary injunction, he again cut or lowered such spillway of the Burle-son Dam to its present level. The evidence does not disclose the surveyor or surveyors advising Mr. Burleson with reference to the proper height of his dam, or proper height or level to construct the spillway of such dam and lake; but an accurate survey, of course, would have disclosed that water in such lake, when at its present level, with the bottom of spillway of the Burleson Dam, would be backed up in such lake far enough to cover the small portion of plaintiff’s land above found.”

The court concluded as a matter of law:

“1. The extraordinary remedy of permanent mandatory injunction compelling the alteration or lowering of defendant’s dam, or a part thereof, should not be granted in this case, it not being shown that serious injury is being inflicted, or in all probability will be inflicted by the complained of acts of defendants.

“2. It not being shown that plaintiff will suffer irreparable damage and injury by reason of the withholding of injunctive relief in this case, the petition for injunctive relief was denied.

“3. The right to injunctive relief in this water controversy is limited by the general rule applicable to the writ and no threatened injury of an irreparable character being shown by the evidence submitted, the injunctive relief sought by plaintiff was denied.

“4. It being shown that water was by the defendants caused to back upon ¾ of an acre of plaintiff’s land by reason of construction and building of the Burleson Dam, and the plaintiff having failed to offer evidence as to the amount of damages, the court assessed nominal damages of ten dollars against the defendants and costs of suit.”

The decree awarded to plaintiff nominal damages , in the sum of $10, together with costs of suit, and denied all other relief. The decree further provided that it was entered without prejudice to the rights . of the plaintiff should conditions so change as to show irreparable loss to plaintiff.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
219 S.W.2d 115, 1949 Tex. App. LEXIS 1638, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/red-lake-fishing-hunting-club-v-burleson-texapp-1949.