What are the rights that govern the use of flowing water, such as rivers and streams?

Riparian rights are the legal entitlements of landowners whose property is adjacent to a flowing body of water, such as a river or stream. These rights allow them to make reasonable use of the water that flows past their property. This includes the ability to access the water for purposes such as irrigation, recreation, and domestic use. The core principle of riparian rights is that landowners share the water resource and cannot use it in a way that would harm other downstream or upstream users or deplete the natural flow. Understanding riparian rights is crucial in real estate as it affects how properties near bodies of water can be developed and used.

In contrast, subsurface rights pertain to the ownership of the mineral resources beneath the ground, while littoral rights specifically relate to properties abutting non-flowing bodies of water, like lakes and oceans. A legal life estate refers to interests in property that are limited to the lifetime of a specific individual, which is not related to the rights of water usage.