Water rights to land are restricted in that one cannot divert water flowing across the property in such a manner as to deprive landowners downstream of the use of water from the stream.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is known as the "doctrine of prior appropriation," which means that older water rights holders have priority over newer ones, and no one can deprive downstream users of their water rights.

Water Rights to Land Are Restricted in That One Cannot