Riparian Rights Definition

It has its origins in english common law.

Riparian rights definition. Riparian water rights exist in many jurisdictions with a common law heritage such as canada australia and states in the eastern united states. Riparian right definition a right as fishing or use of water for irrigation or power enjoyed by a person who owns riparian property. Riparian rights include for example the right to fish and the right to use the water to power machinery on one s land.

Riparian rights come with various duties and responsibilities such as not to pollute water such that it would affect the rights of property owners downstream and not to prevent the free passage of fish. Riparian water rights or simply riparian rights is a system for allocating water among those who possess land along its path. The concept of riparian rights refers to the rights of all landowners whose properties connect to a running body of water such as a river or stream.

State laws vary as to the extent of the rights but controversy exists as to the extent of riparian rights for diversion of water to sell to others for industrial. Riparian right definition is a right such as access to or use of the shore bed and water of one owning riparian land. The riparian right is usufructuary meaning that the landowner does not own the.

More specifically the term refers to their right to make reasonable use of the water that flows either through or over their properties. The right of the owner of the land forming the bank of a river or stream to use water from the waterway for use on the land such as for drinking water or irrigation.