{"id":2268,"date":"2022-03-15T03:08:21","date_gmt":"2022-03-15T03:08:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crestnetwork.com\/?p=2268"},"modified":"2022-03-15T03:10:55","modified_gmt":"2022-03-15T03:10:55","slug":"water-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crestnetwork.com\/water-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"Water Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\u201cWater, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink.<\/em>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no shortage of global crises these days: financial turmoil, poverty, global warming, war and terrorism \u2013 just to name a few. It seems like our very existence and prosperity are frequently challenged. Sometimes it is easy to get complacent if you are not face-to-face with these issues on a routine basis. However, everyone on earth must come to grips with one of the oldest \u201cglobal crises\u201d known to humankind: the need for fresh water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Water is the basis for our livelihoods and our future development. As water flows, it not only shapes our topography, it also shapes our economy and our future. Our thirst for this precious commodity, and our desire to regulate it, is not new \u2013 legal scholars believe Texas water regulation began in the 1600s at the same time when Spanish missions and presidios started taking shape. At that time, Spanish water law encouraged the formation of community irrigation ditches. Historians believe that those old Spanish laws gave birth to increased population in (what is now) Texas, because people began to gather around the areas that could be cultivated with fresh water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, our world population is exploding more than ever \u2013 including in our own backyard. \u00a0So, naturally, the demand for water is beginning to exceed supply since Mother Earth isn\u2019t \u201cmaking\u201d more water; further, many states, such as Texas, have long ago ceased building any major dam production systems. \u00a0This creates more and more reliance on the water rights granted to us in our various water laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Riparian vs. Littoral Rights <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To understand water rights, we must first go over some basic water-rights terminology. The first term, \u201clittoral rights\u201d, concerns the rights of landowners whose property abuts an ocean, sea or lake, rather than a river or stream. Littoral rights are commonly used in connection with the use and enjoyment of the shore or beach. Thus, the term \u201clittoral land\u201d means land bordering the ocean, sea or a lake. By contrast, \u201criparian rights\u201d concern the rights of owners whose property abuts a river or a stream. If you want a simple mnemonic aid (memory trick) to help you remember which type of water applies to which right, just remember: \u201cL\u201d stands for \u201cL<\/em>ittoral\u201d and \u201cL<\/em>ake\u201d, but \u201cR\u201d stands for \u201cR<\/em>iparian\u201d and \u201cR<\/em>iver\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u2015 Samuel Taylor Coleridge<\/p>\n\n\n\n