Roberson v. Red Bluff Water Power Control Dist.

142 S.W.2d 248, 1940 Tex. App. LEXIS 532
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 6, 1940
DocketNo. 3949
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 142 S.W.2d 248 (Roberson v. Red Bluff Water Power Control Dist.) 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
Roberson v. Red Bluff Water Power Control Dist., 142 S.W.2d 248, 1940 Tex. App. LEXIS 532 (Tex. Ct. App. 1940).

Opinion

WALTPIALL, Justice.

This case presents an appeal from a judgment rendered and an order entered therein in the District Court of ' Reeves County, Texas, on the petition of defendant in error.

The order and judgment of the court from which this appeal is prosecuted is as follows: “It is therefore ordered, adjudged and decreed that the defendants Ronald Roberson and E. L. Stratton be, and they are hereby, perpetually enjoined from, and that they shall desist from interfering with, or using force, threats of force, or violence on the officers, agents and employees, of plaintiff Red Bluff Water Power Control District constructing and building fences, roadways, levees, and other improvements upon its properties; and that the defendant Ronald Roberson be, and he is hereby, perpetually enjoined from, and that he shall desist, using the properties of plaintiff Red Bluff Water Power Control District for the purpose or purposes of conducting a business thereon, operating boats and renting boats, fishing tackle and other equipment upon the properties of plaintiff Red Bluff Water Power Control District; that plaintiff do have and recover of the defendant Ronald Roberson, the sum of One Dollar ($1.00) actual damage; and that plaintiff have judgment and recover of the defendants Ronald Roberson and E. L. Stratton all cost of suit; for all of which let writs of injunction and execution issue.”

The case was tried to the court without a jury.

At defendants’ request the court made and filed findings of fact and conclusions of law.

The findings of fact made by the court are comprehensive, and sufficiently embrace [249]*249all the fact issues pleaded by all the parties. The findings of fact are as follows:

“1. That plaintiff is a water power control district and water improvement district duly organized, incorporated and existing under and by virtue of Section 59 of Article XVI of the Constitution [Vernon’s Ann.St.] and Chapter 2, Title 128 of the Revised Civil Statutes, 1925, and amendments thereto, of the State of Texas [Vernon’s Ann.St. art. 7622 et seq.].
“2. That plaintiff has a valid and subsisting permit from the State Board of Water Engineers of the State of Texas for the appropriation of flood waters of the Pecos River.
“3. That plaintiff completed in September, '1936, the construction of a large earthern dam across the Pecos River, approximately ten miles below the Texas, New Mexico boundry line thereby creating an artificial lake and body of water of 300,000 acre feet at said reservoir, at an expenditure of approximately $2,885,000.00. That said water is used to irrigate approximately 35,000 acres of land lying below said dam and for hydro-electric power. That the amount of water in said reservoir varies from day to day and month to month, according to the use of same for irrigation and hydro-electric power purposes.
“4. That plaintiff owns and possesses about 14,000 acres of land for said reservoir site in Texas, same being the land covered by the waters of said artificial reservoir • and a strip of land above the highest elevation of the flood-spillway gates.
“5. That in Section 16, Block 57, Township One, Texas & Pacific Ry. Co. Survey in Reeves County, Texas, plaintiff owns 448.1 acres of land as part of said artificial lake and reservoir site on the East side of said section. Plaintiff’s land in Section 16 is land inclosed partly by fence and partly by water of the reservoir.
“6. That the remainder of said section is owned by Mrs. Cecilia M. Stratton Bell, from whom the defendant E. L. Stratton holds a power of attorney, and that the defendant- Ronald Roberson has an undivided interest in a leasehold estate for 10 years from October 11, 1938, to one acre of said land which said acre for • a distance of 80 feet adjoins plaintiff District’s land in said section.
“7. That plaintiff purchased said 448.1 acres from Mrs. Cecilia M. Stratton Bell and her husband, Donald S. Bell, and the Black Reef Oil Company, a corporation, acting by and through its President, E. L. Stratton, for a cash consideration of $13,-472.65 paid for said 448.1 acres of land and other lands.
“8. That plaintiff holds title under a warranty deed from Mrs. Cecilia M. Strat-ton Bell and her husband, Donald S. Bell, and the Black Reef Oil Company, a corporation, acting by and through its President, E. L. Stratton, to the fee simple estate to said 448.1 acres of land in said Section 16, Block 57, Township One, and no reservations, easements or profit a prendre were excepted or reserved in said conveyance.
“9. That said Section 16, at the time of the entry thereupon and application for purchase from the State of Texas, at the time plaintiff’s portion was patented, nor at any time between, ever abutted upon the Pecos River or other water course, nor did any stream or water course run by or through said Section 16. That said Pecos River at all times above specified ran in a Southeasterly direction through Section 15, same block and survey, which said Section 15 lies directly East of Section 16. Each of said sections is one mile square and contains 640 acres.
“10. That at all times since June, 1937, flood waters impounded in said reservoir have flowed over and inundated and now inundate portions of the eastern part of said Section 16 owned by plaintiff.
“11. That the Board of Directors of plaintiff district adopted, at a regular meeting on 19th of July, 1938, a resolution and order as follows, to-wit:
“ ‘Be it resolved by the Board of Directors of Red Bluff Water Power Control District that the following rules and regulations apply to the regulations of residence, boating and camping and all recreational and business privileges at and upon Red Bluff Reservoir and that the land owned and controlled by this District adjoining, surrounding and adjacent to said reservoir are adopted and promulgated as reasonable rules and regulations deemed necessary for preserving the sanitary condition of the waters of said Reservoir controlled by the District and to prevent waste of water and to prevent the un[250]*250authorized use of said property and to safeguard the welfare and health of all persons using said properties and going upon same, and to safeguard the interest and responsibility of this District as the owner of said property, and to safeguard and maintain order and prevention of disturbances thereon, and to safeguard and maintain said property belonging to this District and the duty imposed upon this District by law to police and condition and preserve the waters of said Reservoir in accordance with the provisions of an act of the Legislature of the State of Texas, 47th Legislature, 2nd Called Session, Acts 1935, Chapt. 293.
“ ‘The said properties of the District including specifically all land owned by the District surrounding said Reservoir are hereby declared to be restricted to the use of said District and that no one shall have the right to go upon, over, across or in any way use said property except the officers and employees of said District acting in their official capacity and such other persons as may be issued permits therefor in accordance with the rules and regulations adopted with reference thereto.

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142 S.W.2d 248, 1940 Tex. App. LEXIS 532, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/roberson-v-red-bluff-water-power-control-dist-texapp-1940.