In addition, the law gave the Secretary the power to give patents to permittees who found enough groundwater to sustain a farm.

The majority of the Court argued that sand and gravel were no "valuable minerals" that were reserved to the government of the United States under the Pittman Underground Water Act and reversed the decision of the Ninth Circuit.

[2] Senator Francis G. Newlands, who represented Nevada, was the father of the main irrigation legislation passed before the Pittman Underground Water Act.

However, his ability to make a law that was favorable to Nevada was restricted by the fact that he was practically the only Democrat from the western United States.

[3] Before the Pittman Underground Water Act was approved, numerous proposals failed to pass Congress that would have provided funding for the exploration of groundwater in Nevada.

[3] Pittman later said the bill failed, because "it met with serious opposition on the very ground that it might be used for the purpose of grabbing mineral lands.

Another amendment passed, that removed a provision that would give part of the money earned by the bill to the State of Nevada.

[9] The law didn't succeed in stimulating the Nevada agricultural sector significantly and was therefore repealed by the 88th United States Congress in its second session.

Such permit can be granted to any American citizen or association and the receiver is given the exclusive right to look for groundwater in an area of not more than 2,560 acres for a maximum of two years.

After a person receives a permit, he must start searching for water within six months and he must continue doing so regularly until he has found groundwater.

The receiver of the permit can acquire a patent to the land when he has discovered enough groundwater to maintain crops on an area of at least 20 acres and has developed it.