Full Description

The riparian doctrine of water rights is applied in the 25 states east of the Mississippi River. It is based on a principle of sharing of surface water resources by owners of land adjacent to lakes and surface streams. During periods of shortage, all of the riparian owners share in the shortage. One does not have priority over the other due to an earlier date for the first beneficial use, and a right is not diminished as a result of non-use or reduced use. This fundamental principle of sharing water resources has been challenged in recent years by federal and state regulatory programs to protect endangered species and maintain river assimilative capacities for waste discharges. These regulatory programs have sometimes limited or defeated one use for water, human consumption, in favor of protection of endangered species. The riparian doctrine can be used to harmonize competing demands. This can be accomplished through integrated basin-wide planning and management. This paper provides a six-step approach to basin-wide planning and management. The six-step approach can be applied to a wide range of conditions to resolve conflicts among competing users.

Product Details

Published: 01/01/1994 ISBN(s): 0898677734 Number of Pages: 5File Size: 1 file , 210 KB