Texas Water Resources Institute - Water in Court

Rivers were guarded by the sharpest gunfighters, and the last of the canteen water belonged to the man with the toughest fists. [...] Generally speaking, lands which were patented from the state between 1840 and 1895, and which border or have frontage upon a stream are riparian, and the owners of the land have a right to share in the use of the normal flow of the stream as it passes their land. [...] The act authorizes the Texas Water Rights Commission to determine the nature and extent of each water claim for every stream in Texas, then to file the determination with the courts. [...] The Adjudication Act established a procedure whereby a state agency could investigate and make determinations on claims in order to isolate the problems to be brought to the attention of the courts. [...] The watermaster, and staff of 8, is responsible for the day-to-day management of the river and the supervision of the use of state water by water rights holders.