What are the types of water rights held by users?

In California, there are three main types of water rights that users may hold. The first is riparian water rights. This is a legal right to the use of water on your land if it is adjacent to a body of water, such as a river or stream. It is based on the concept that everyone who shares water from the same source has an equal right to it, and so each and every landowner is entitled to use their share of water. The second type of water right is appropriative water rights. This allows water users to take a certain amount of water from a certain source, such as a lake or river, to use for their own purposes. Usually these rights must be approved by a court or a state agency, and water users must agree to conditions such as not wasting the water and returning it at the end of use. Finally, there are prescriptive water rights. These are usually acquired by water users who have been using the same water supply for a long time and have established what is known as “adverse possession”. It is usually hard to acquire these rights, as the user must show that the water was taken and used continuously for a specific amount of time, and that it was done openly and without the permission of the owner. Overall, different water users in California will have different types of water rights, depending on their location and the particular situation. It is best to consult a legal expert to advise on which water right is right for you.

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