Assessment of Water Rights
A legal assessment of water rights can help determine if water can be legally for a project. If you cannot secure sufficient water rights for your development then your project is not going to leave the starting gates.
Water rights are legal rights that allow certain entities, like property owners or companies, to use, sell, divert, or manage water from a specific source. The laws governing water rights vary by state, and water permits are issued in accordance with those laws.
Civil Litigation
In the United States, there are two main types of water rights:
riparian rights and prior appropriation rights:
Riparian rights give property owners the right to use water that borders their property. This is the doctrine that most eastern states follow.
Prior appropriation rights give the first person to start using a water source the right to divert it. This is the doctrine that most western states follow, including Arizona.
Other factors that can be determined
by a legal assessment of water rights include: