Section 73-2-54 - Joint spillways or degaguas; use of water without consent; penalty. - New Mexico Statutes

73-2-54. [Joint spillways or degaguas; use of water without consent; penalty.]

When two or more public ditches drain their excess of waters at the same drainage, the same shall be considered as joint owners of said drainage and no person or persons that may own lands on either side of said drainage shall have the right to use the water of said drainage without the consent of the mayordomos of said joint owners, and said owners of land shall not be permitted to put any impediment, encumbrances, or sidegates or dams upon said drainage and if at any time it shall be discovered that they use the water with the object of irrigating land whether it may be for harvest, or hay land to cut hay or to purchase stock of any kind, they shall be responsible for the damages that the excess of water may cause in time of flood; furthermore if they use the water without the consent of the mayordomos of said joint owners' drainage, they shall be fined in a sum not less than five dollars ($5.00) nor more than ten dollars ($10.00) for each and every offense.