In the case of Edwards Aquifer Authority v. Burrell Day and Joel McDaniel (2012), farmers argued that
A) the rights to the water in the aquifer were beyond the reach of the federal government because of a long-standing precedent dating back to Mexican common law.
B) since they owned the land above the aquifer, they had rights to water within the aquifer.
C) they had water rights because they had prior claim pursuant to Texas sovereignty under federalism.
D) they had water rights based on the eminent domain doctrine of the federal Constitution.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The farmers argued that, as owners of the land above the aquifer, they had rights to the water within the aquifer. This is commonly known as the "rule of capture" and has been recognized by courts in Texas as a valid legal principle. However, in this case, the court ultimately ruled in favor of the Edwards Aquifer Authority, finding that it had the authority to regulate and allocate the use of water from the aquifer in order to protect the rights of all users, both surface and subsurface.

In the Case of Edwards Aquifer Authority V