Riparian - following with last week's word (Littoral), today we will discuss another water rights word, Riparian rights. Riparian rights are those that concern a property that abuts a river or stream. In most states, the property owner owns the land under the stream to the midpoint of a non-navigable stream and to the waters edge of a navigable stream. So what is a navigable stream? Georgia law defines it thusly:
O.C.G.A. §44-8-5(a) Navigable stream means a stream which is capable of transporting boats loaded with freight in the regular course of trade either for the whole or a part of the year. The mere rafting of timber or the transporting of wood in small boats shall not make a stream navigable.
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