Riparian Water Rights are the rights that give landowners access and usage of flowing bodies of waters like rivers and streams.

• A. Groundwater rights
• B. Littoral Rights
• C. Public water rights
• D. Water rights that give landowners access and usage of flowing bodies of waters like rivers and streams

Answer: (D)

Riparian rights attach to land that borders a flowing body of water, like a river or stream, and allow the landowner to reasonably use that water while not harming others’ rights downstream. This concept is all about access to and use of flowing water tied to the property along the watercourse. The option that describes water rights giving landowners access and usage of flowing waters matches this idea exactly, so it is the best choice.

Groundwater rights deal with water underground, not surface streams. Littoral rights pertain to ownership of the shore of a still body of water, not the right to use flowing water. Public water rights refer to government or public ownership or control of water, not private riparian access.