Title 33Navigation and Navigable WatersRelease 119-73

§708 Sale of surplus waters for domestic and industrial uses; disposition of moneys

Title 33 › Chapter CHAPTER 15— - FLOOD CONTROL › § 708

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Secretary of the Army may sell surplus reservoir water to governments, businesses, or people at fair terms that do not harm current legal uses. Payments go into the U.S. Treasury as miscellaneous receipts.

Full Legal Text

Title 33, §708

Navigation and Navigable Waters — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Secretary of the Army is authorized to make contracts with States, municipalities, private concerns, or individuals, at such prices and on such terms as he may deem reasonable, for domestic and industrial uses for surplus water that may be available at any reservoir under the control of the Department of the Army: Provided, That no contracts for such water shall adversely affect then existing lawful uses of such water. All moneys received from such contracts shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United States as miscellaneous receipts.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1952—Act May 23, 1952, revived and reenacted section.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Department of War designated Department of the Army and title of Secretary of War changed to Secretary of the Army by section 205(a) of act
July 26, 1947, ch. 343, title II, 61 Stat. 501. section 205(a) of act
July 26, 1947, was repealed by section 53 of act Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 641. section 1 of act Aug. 10, 1956, enacted “Title 10, Armed Forces” which in sections 3010 to 3013 continued Department of the Army under administrative supervision of Secretary of the Army.

Repeals

Act
May 23, 1952, § 1(b), repealed paragraph (59) of section 1 of act Oct. 31, 1951, ch. 654, 65 Stat. 703, which had previously repealed this section. Section as Unaffected by Submerged Lands ActProvisions of this section as not amended, modified or repealed by the Submerged Lands Act, see section 1303 of Title 43, Public Lands. Conversion of Surplus Water Agreements Pub. L. 114–322, title I, § 1174, Dec. 16, 2016, 130 Stat. 1673, provided that: “For the purposes of section 6 of the Act of
December 22, 1944 (58 Stat. 890, chapter 665; 33 U.S.C. 708), in any case in which a water supply agreement with a duration of 30 years or longer was predicated on water that was surplus to a purpose and provided for the complete payment of the actual investment costs of storage to be used, and that purpose is no longer authorized as of the date of enactment of this section [Dec. 16, 2016], the Secretary [of the Army] shall provide to the non-Federal entity an opportunity to convert the agreement to a permanent storage agreement in accordance with section 301 of the Water Supply Act of 1958 (43 U.S.C. 390b), with the same payment terms incorporated in the agreement.”

Executive Documents

Transfer of Functions

For transfer of certain personal property and functions relating thereto, insofar as they pertain to Air Force, from Secretary of the Army and Department of the Army to Secretary of the Air Force and Department of the Air Force, see Secretary of Defense Transfer Order No. 39, eff.
May 18, 1949, and 40 [App. B (98)],
July 22, 1949.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

33 U.S.C. § 708

Title 33Navigation and Navigable Waters

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73