Which property right allows a landowner to utilize water from a river flowing through their property?

The correct answer, Riparian rights, is a legal concept that grants landowners the right to access and use water from a river or stream that flows through or adjacent to their property. This right generally applies to properties that are located near moving bodies of water, such as rivers and streams. Riparian rights typically include the right to reasonable use of the water, such as for irrigation, livestock, and household needs, while also ensuring that the water remains available for others who may be entitled to use it downstream.

In contrast, littoral rights pertain to properties bordering stationary bodies of water, like lakes or oceans, where the landowner has rights over the use of the shore and water but under different regulations than those pertaining to rivers. Surface rights refer generally to the rights to use the land’s surface, which may not include any rights to the minerals or water below or near the ground. Mineral rights give landowners ownership and control over the mineral resources located beneath their land, allowing them to harvest those resources, but do not grant rights pertaining to water bodies flowing through the property.

Understanding these distinctions helps clarify why riparian rights specifically address the utilization of water from rivers, making it the correct response to the question.