Riparian Responsibilities
If you own land which is adjacent to a watercourse or land which
has a watercourse running through it, you are a riparian
owner and you have certain legal responsibilities to
maintain the watercourse. Where a watercourse marks the
boundary between adjoining properties, it is normally presumed the
riparian owner owns the land up to the centre line of the
watercourse.
Responsibilities of a riparian owner
include:
- To maintain the watercourse and to
clear any obstructions (natural or otherwise) so the normal flow of
water is not impeded;
- To maintain the banks and bed of
the watercourse and any flood defences that exist on it;
- To accept the natural flow from you
upstream neighbour and transfer it downstream without obstruction,
pollution or diversion;
- To maintain any structures on your
stretch of watercourse including culverts, weirs and mill
gates.
Rights of a riparian owner
include:
- To receive a flow of water in its
natural state, without undue interference in quantity or
quality;
- To protect your property against
flooding from the watercourse and to prevent erosion of the
watercourse banks or any structures.