What is riparian water rights priority?

In Colorado, riparian water rights priority is a legal principle that states water users with land directly adjacent to a body of water are given the priority to use the water, rather than those with land further away. This means, all else being equal, those rights holders with land along a river or stream are given higher priority to the water than those with land further from the water source. This has been established by the prior appropriation doctrine in Colorado. Riparian water rights are a priority right to the water compared to a non-riparian appropriator, who must wait until all riparian water is used before their water rights may be enforced. Generally, the doctrine is based on the idea that the riparian water user holds the rights to the water in order to protect the health of the stream, and that their water rights should take precedence over any other appropriation. The two main riparian water rights doctrines, reasonable use and natural flow, are both based on the idea that those with a riparian interest in a water source have the right to uses that are reasonable for their land, and that no one can take a disproportionate share of the water. This legal principle gives preference to water rights holders whose lands are adjacent to a water source, and thus helps to protect the sustainability of the water.

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What is riparian water rights priority?

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