398 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 



t 



removed for cause. The salary of the members of this board should not 

 be less than $3,000 per annum each, and they should be allowed a clerk at 

 a salary of $1,800 per annum, to be appomted by the board. 



STATE HYDRAULIC ENGINEER. 



(2) There should be an executive officer of the board, appointed by 

 them, who should be a competent, experienced civil engineer, and who 

 should have exclusive control over the administration of the Avater supplv 

 and its distribution to the parties hnving legally established rights to its 

 use. The title of this officer should be "State hydraulic engineer." 



UNAPPROPRIATED WATERS DECLARED PUBLIC PROPERTY. 



(3) The statutes of California should declare that all unappropriated 



waters not utilized for irrigation at the date of the passage of the act are 



public property.. 



LIMITATION ON RIGHTS. 



(4) All irrigation rights to be established hereafter shall be attached 

 to the land for which the appropriation is made. The volume permitted to 

 be appropriated should in all cases be limited to the actual necessities of 

 economical use, to be determined from time to time by the State hydraulic 

 engineer. Priority of use should give the better right as between parties 

 using water for the same purpose. 



DOMESTIC USE TO BE A PREFERRED RIGHT. 

 (6) Domestic use of water should take precedence over an other uses. 



ALL RIGHTS TO BE BASED ON USE. 



(6) Beneficial use should determine the extent of every acquired right 

 to water as well as of the riparian owners as of the appropriators. No 

 riparian owner who has not made beneficial use of his water should acquire 

 title to water under any doctrine as against those who have put water to a 

 beneficial use. 



BOARD OF CONTROL TO FIX WATER RATES. 



(7) The board of water control should be vested with the authority to 

 fix water rates now possessed by county supervisors, city councils, or boards 

 of trustees of municipalities. 



