The prior appropriation doctrine grants rights over surface water and groundwater in order of seniority, where the first person to divert water away from its natural source and apply it for some beneficial use acquires a priority right to...
water
riparian
Riparian refers to land adjoining a bank of a river or stream. See riparian rights.
[Last updated in December of 2020 by the Wex Definitions Team]
riparian doctrine
Riparian doctrine refers to the doctrine in property law that deals mainly with a body of water bordering a piece of land. The doctrine of riparian rights claims that the legal water right belongs to the landowner if the water flows within...
riparian rights
Riparian rights are the rights of a riparian landowner to certain uses of the river or stream adjoining their property. In a 2018 Wisconsin Supreme Court case, Movrich v. Lobermeier, the Court, citing influential treatises and case precedent,...