Legal Definitions - riparian-rights doctrine

The riparian-rights doctrine is a rule that states that owners of land that borders a waterway have equal rights to use the water that passes through or by their property. This means that they have the right to use the water for things like drinking, irrigation, and recreation.

For example, if a person owns a piece of land that borders a river, they have the right to use the water from the river for their personal use. They can use it to water their crops, to drink, or to swim in. However, they cannot use the water in a way that would harm the rights of other riparian landowners.

Another example would be if a group of people own land that borders a lake. They all have the right to use the water from the lake for their personal use, but they must do so in a way that does not harm the rights of the other landowners.

The riparian-rights doctrine is different from the prior-appropriation doctrine, which gives priority to the first person to use the water for a beneficial purpose. Under the riparian-rights doctrine, all riparian landowners have equal rights to use the water.