Final answer:
Riparian rights allow a landowner to use water flowing past their property without diverting or polluting it. These rights are typically governed by state laws and function as a type of easement that balances personal use with ecological preservation. The maintenance of such rights is essential to prevent the tragedy of the commons and protect shared environmental resources.
Step-by-step explanation:
The rights of a landowner to make a reasonable use of the waters that flow past his or her property, without diverting or polluting the water, are often referred to as riparian rights or water rights. These rights are typically governed by state laws and can vary significantly depending on the jurisdiction. Riparian rights are a type of easement, which is a right to use the property of another for a specific purpose. In the case of water rights, the easement allows for the use of water flow for purposes such as agriculture, industry, recreation, and as a public water supply, but also comes with the responsibility to maintain the integrity of the water source.
Riparian rights are part of a broader system of property rights, which establish the legal rights of ownership that others are not allowed to infringe without compensation. Under riparian rights, landowners are also expected to respect the ecological balance, which includes not engaging in activities that would harm public goods such as water bodies and fisheries. Additionally, these rights are designed to prevent the tragedy of the commons, where individual actions might damage a shared resource due to lack of regulation or enforcement.