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Show ASSIGNMENT The 1955 legislature of Utah made an assignment to the Legislative Council for the study of certain water problems, S. J. Ro 18 carried three items of assignment as followsi " l. A study of the need for and the desirability of revisions and extension of the state statutes dealing with the control and management of underground water in the state." " 2„ A study of the need for and desirability of the state accepting the responsibility for controlling its water in flood stages." " 3„ A study of the advisability of consolidating all state agencies dealing with the development, distribution and determination of water rights under a single department for the purposes of assuring a more comprehensive and coordinated effort to provide the most beneficial use of the waters of the state." The water assignment was referred to the Council subcommittee on Government Organization and Budgeting and designated as a study project upon recommendation of the subcommittee. A public meeting was held with representation from water users, institutions of higher learning, state water agencies, ground water associations, private industry, county and municipal associations and federal agencies. At this meeting the legislative assignment was considered and a brief review of other state studies made. The three doctrines of ground water use have been considered. These are: the common law or English doctrine, which gives the owner of the soil all the rights beneath the surface; the American doctrine, or doctrine of correlative rights, which states that a man's right to appropriate water on his own land is limited by the corresponding right of his neighbor and he is, therefore, restricted to a reasonable use of his right in relation to the rights of others; and the doctrine of appropriation for beneficial use to permit a right of use - 1- |