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The Use of Waters of International Drainage Basins Under Customary International Law

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2017

William L. Griffin
William L. Griffin*
Affiliation:
Office of the Legal Adviser, Department of State*
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Extract

Well over one hundred treaties which have governed or today govern water uses in international drainage basins have been entered into all over the world. These treaties, and the negotiations leading to them, indicate that there are principles limiting the power of states to use such waters without regard to injurious effects on co-riparians.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Journal of International Law , Volume 53 , Issue 1 , January 1959 , pp. 50 - 80
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of International Law 1959

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References

1 See, e.g., The Wimbledon, P.C.I.J., Ser. A, No. 1, p. 25; Crichton v. Samoa Navigation Co., Ann. Dig. 1925-26, p. 3; Stone, Legal Controls of International Conflict 135 (1954). It is possible to discuss only a few leading illustrations. Smith, The Economic Uses of International Rivers (1931), abstracts or summarizes 51 treaties from 1785 to 1930. Sevette, Legal Aspects of Hydro-Electric Development of Rivers and Lakes of Common Interest (U.N. Doe. E/ECE/136 (1952)), adds about 40 more treaties. These two studies will hereafter be cited as “Smith” and “ECE Rept.,” respectively. Other treaty summaries are found in Hirsch, “Utilization of International Rivers in the Middle East,” 50 A.J.I.L. 81 (1956), and Berber, Die Rechtsquellen des Inter nationalen Wassernutzungsrechts 39-94 (Munich, 1955).

2 This discussion is in part based upon Simsarian,” The Diversion of Waters Affecting the U. S. and Mexico,” 17 Tex. L. R. 27 (1938).

3 21 Ops. Atty. Gen. 274 (1895).

4 TT. 8. Treaty Series, No. 455, 34 Stat. 2953.

5 See Numerical File 1906-1910, Dept. of State, Nat. Archives, Vol. 484, 5934/6-7 (Sept. 24, 1907); Sen. Doc. 118, pp. 10-15.

6 Ibid. 5934/18a (Jan. 29, 1908); Sen. Doc. 118, pp. 21-22.

7 Ibid. 5934/19 (March 23, 1908); Sen. Doc. 118, pp. 23-25.

8 Hid. 5934/25 (June 4, 1908) ; Sen. Doc. 118, pp. 26-29.

9 U. S. Treaty Series, No. 548, 36 Stat. 2448; 4 A.J.I.L. Supp. 239 (1910).

10 Debates, H. of C, Dom. Can., Sess. 1910-11, Vol. I, p. 907; Sen. Doc. 118, p. 54.

11 i Pub. Ees. No. 62, 69th Cong., March 3, 1927.

12 Kept, of the Am. Sec, Int. Water Comm., TJ. 8. and Mex., 71st Cong., H. Doc. No. 359, pp. 23 and 28.

13 Act of Aug. 19, 1935, 49 Stat. 66.

14 XT. S. Treaty Series, No. 994, 59 Stat. 1219.

15 Hearings before Committee on Foreign Eolations on Treaty with Mexico Relating to Utilization of Waters of Certain Eivers, 79th Cong., 1st Sess., Pt. 5, pp. 1740-1741 (1945).

16 Ibid. 1751.

17 Hearings, cited above, Part 1, at 97-98.

18 Smith 167 (translation).

19 Brit. Treaty Series, No. 17, p. 33 (1929).

20 Smith 212-214.

21 Paper regarding negotiations for a treaty of alliance ?with Egypt, Egypt No. ], Cmd. No. 3050, p. 31 (1928).

22 “The Nile Waters Question,” Min. of Irrigation and Hydroelectric Power, Khartoum, p. 13 (1955).

23 Ibid. 5.

24 lbid. 36-41.

25 Brit. Treaty Series, No. 30 (1954), Cmd. 9132; ibid., No. 85 (1955), Cmd. 9642.

26 105 League of Nations Treaty Series 223.

27 1 Rept. of Indus Commission 22 (1942), discussed below.

28 A.J.I.L. Supp. 60 (1934).

29 Development of Water Resources in the Lower Mekong Basin, E/CN.11/457, 8T/ECAEE/SER.F/12.

30 ibid. iii.

31 In numerous cases international courts have referred to general principles of law as a source of international law and have invoked them as a basis for their decisions. See Cheng, General Principles of Law as Applied by International Courts and Tribunals (1953).

32 Pp. 204-205.

33 Smith 217.

34 “h ‘Utilization Industrielle des Fleuves Internationaux,” 83 Hague Academy Recueil des Cours 517 (1953).

35 1 Oppenheim, International Law 345-347 (8th ed., Lauterpacht, 1955).

36 1 St. John, Lovett & Smith, Eastern Persia: An Account of the Journeys of the Persian Boundary Commission, 1870-71-72, Appendix B (1876).

37 '’ Principles of Law Governing the Uses of International Rivers'’ (Lib. of Cong. Cat. Card No. 57-10830), Papers prepared for the International Law Association Conference at Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia, 1956

38 Ibid.

39 Informe del Ministro de las Relaciones Exteriores a la Nacion, p. 623 (Quito, 1946) (translation).

40 TJ. 8. Treaty Series, No. 893, 49 Stat. 3245. The Tribunal consisted of Charles Warren (XT. 8 . ) , Robert Greenshields (Canada), and Jan Hostie (Belgium).

41 35 A.J.I.L. 684, 713 (1941).

42 lbid. 714.

43 ibid. 716-717.

44 Signed May 26, 1866; 56 Brit, and For. State Papers 212.

45 Affaire du Lac Lanoux, Sentence du Tribunal Arbitral (1957), pp. 34-35; digested below, p. 156; see also Laylin and Bianchi, above, p. 34 et seq.

46 Award cited above, p. 33 (translation).

47 Art. XI, Acte Additionel, ibid. 229 (translation).

48 The Sentence was signed only by the Tribunal's President, Sture Petrêén (Sweden) ; other members were: Paul Beuter (France), Plinio Bolla (Switzerland), Antonio de Luna (Spain), and Fernand de Visscher (Belgium).

49 Ibia. 46-47 (translation).

50 ibid. 58-61 (translation).

51 ibid. 63 (translation).

52 Space limitations make it possible to discuss only a few of the leading water dispute cases. The Trail Smelter case, above, is typical of the use of national decisions by international tribunals as guides for the determination of international law.

53 Schweizerische Bundesgericht, Entscheidungen des Sch. B., IV, 34; Smith 39, 104.

54 Italian Court of Cassation, 1938-40 Ann. Dig., No. 47, p. 120.

55 ibid. 121.

56 Deutsches Staatsgerichtshof, Entscheidungen des Reichsgerichts in Zivilsachen, Vol. 116, Supp., p. 18; Smith 54, 117.

57 206 TJ. 8. 46. See article by Bobert D. Scott, 52 A.J.l.L. 432 (1958).

58 259 TJ. S. 419.

59 Ibid. 466.

60 325 U. S. 589.

61 Ibid. 618.

62 1 Rept. of the Indus Commission, July 13, 1942 (Lahore, Supt. Govt. Printing, Punjab, 1950).

63 ibid 10-11

64 Op. oit. 15 (translation).

65 “Les Relations Internationales de “Voisinage,” 79 Recueil des Cours 104 (1951).

66 Utilisation des Eaux Internationales Non Maritimes (en dehors de la Navigation), Institut de Droit International (1957).

67 Op. tit. 290-291.

68 Op. oit. 474-475.

69 Op. cit. 477, note 2.

70 The Law of Nations 204-205 (5th ed., 1955).

71 “ ElR?gimen Juridico de los Bios Internationales,” 56 Bevista de Derecho International 24, 26 (La Habana, No. Ill , 1949).

72 Pp. 51-68.

73 Pp. 209-213.

74 24 Annuaire 170; ECE Rept. 261.

75 Utilisation des Eaux Internationales Non Maritimes (en dehors de la Navigation) (1957).

76 Principles of Law Governing the Uses of International Rivers and Lakes. Resolu tion Adopted by the Inter-American Bar Association at its Tenth Conference Held in November, 1957, at Buenos Aires, Argentina, together with Papers Submitted to the Association (Washington, D. C, 1958, Lib. of Cong. Cat. Card No. 58-12112. pp. 127).

77 The report of the 1958 conference is not yet published. For the 1956 conference, see Rept. of 47th Conf., Dubrovnik (1956) 216-248; and papers prepared for the con ference, above. Between the two conferences several studies became available and were utilized by various members of the committee. The more readily available and comprehensive of these are:

Between the two conferences several studies became available and were utilized by various members of the committee. The more readily available and comprehensive of these are:

1. Andrassy's preliminary report (1957), above.

2. Dr. H. Fortuin, "International Eiver Law," Netherlands International Law Review, October, 1957.

3. Papers submitted to the Inter-American Bar Association, above.

4. Sen. Doc. 118 (1958), above.

5. U.N. Dept. of Economic and Social Affairs, "Integrated River Basin Development," Doc. B/3066 (1958).

6. Principles of Law and Recommendations on the Uses of International Rivers. Statement of Principles of Law and Recommendations with a Commentary and Supporting Authorities Submitted to the International Committee of the International Law Association by the Committee on the Uses of Waters of International Rivers of the American Branch (Washington, D. C, 1958, Lib. of Cong. Cat. Card No. 58-12111).

7. Bloomfield and Fitzgerald, Boundary Waters Problems—Canada and the United States (Toronto, Carswell Co., 1958).

78 This point is discussed further below.

79 Such uses have not been considered in preparing this article

80 E.g., the Harmon opinion, above.

81 E.g., Berber, op. cit. 114.

82 See above.

83 The numbered principles and most of the commentary are as in Sen. Doc. 118, lip. 89-91, but the comments on principle 3 have been expanded.