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L a g ,Vegas, Nevada March 5 t h , ?1952. p ? M Mr * E. E. B e n n e tt: P ursua nt t o your l e t t e r of February 25 th , Za s 1952, r e l a t i v e to th e water' study d i r e c t e d by P r e s i d e n t S toddard, I a tte n d e d a meeting, f o r t h a t 'p u r p o s e on March 4 th , 1952, h ere i n Las Vegas. I t r a n s m i t h e rew ith copy of p re p a re d minutes of t h a t m eeting. as t o whether or not th e R a ilr o a d Company has a v e s te d r i g h t in i t s 2.5 CFS in Well .$1, which could not be. diminished, or taken from i t . I was unable to a d v ise on t h i s .point., and s t a t e d t h a t I would i n q u i r e i n t o i t . I had in mind t h e f a c t t h a t o u r . b a s i c w ater law of 1913, contained a p r o v is io n p r e s e r v i n g v e s te d r i g h t s t o use .water which had,,,,been'appro­p r i a t e d f o r use p r i o r to th e enactment o f t h a t law,. That p r o v i s i o n i s S e c tio n 7970 NCL 1929. However, ,1 co u ld -n o ti s t a t e whether a s i m i l a r p r o v i s i o n was in c lu d ed i n th e Act of 1939 r e l a t i n g to c o n s e r v a tio n and d i s p o s i t i o n of under ground w ater (7993.10-7993.24 as amended i n 1947 and 1949.) This p o i n t was deemed m a t e r i a l by th o se p r e s e n t because of ?their d e c i s i o n t o a ttem p t a. t r a n s f e r of th e e n t i r e 2.5 CFS, r a t h e r th a n a l e s s e r amount. S e c tio n 7993.Id of the, 1939 A c t - o r i g i n a l l y p r o v i d e d . t h a t a u s e r i n areas' under 'the ad­m i n i s t r a t i o n of t h a t Act who has not o b ta in ed a p erm it may, be compelled t o do so upon n o t i c e by r e g i s t e r e d ’m a i l , and may be compelled to cease using, w ater u n t i l he has complied w ith t h e .laws p e r t a i n i n g to the a p p r o p r i a t i o n of w a te r . I f th e owner f a i l s t o i n i t i a t e p ro cee d in g s t o se cu re such . p erm it _w i t h i n t h i r t y days a f t e r such n o t i c e , he i s g u i l t y :, * o f a misdemeanor. This s e c t i o n f u r t h e r p ro v id e s t h a t th e d a te o f p r i o r i t y of a l l a p p r o p r i a t i o n s Of w ater from an underground source i s th e d a te when a p p l i c a t i o n i s made in p ro p er form. The f o re g o in g s e c t i o n was amended in 1947 I, t o , r e c o g n i z e w e ll s which were in e x i s t e n c e p r i o r t o March: * 25;, 193,9. ' F u rth e rm o re, two new s u b s e c ti o n s were added, 7993*Ida r e l a t i n g to abandonment and f o r f e i t u r e of a l l or a p o r t i o n of an a d j u d i c a t e d , u n a d j u d ic a te d , p e r m itte d or v e s te d r i g h t . S e c tio n 7993.Idb s t a t e s t h a t for. t h e purpose ofv.this c o n s e r v a tio n a c t , a v e s te d r i g h t i s a w ater r i g h t on underground w ater a c q u ire d from an a r t e s i a n w e ll o r ° from a d e f i n a b l e a q u i f i e r p r i o r to March 22, 1913, and an underground w ater r i g h t on p e r c o l a t i n g w a te r, th e course and b o u n d a rie s of which a r e in c a p a b le of d e t e r m in a t io n , a c q u ir e d p r i o r t o March 25, 1939, th e m inutes. I b e l i e v e you may wish me t o e n la rg e upon During the d i s c u s s i o n th e q u e s tio n " a r o s e