What are the rights called that allow a landowner to withdraw water from an adjacent river?

The correct answer pertains to "riparian rights," which are legal rights that allow landowners whose property is adjacent to a body of water, such as a river, to use and access that water. These rights are typically based on the principle that water bodies should benefit the owners who live along their banks.

Riparian rights include the right to withdraw water for personal use, such as irrigation, domestic consumption, and other reasonable uses, as long as such withdrawals do not adversely affect the water flow or quality for upstream or downstream users. This doctrine ensures that all riparian landowners have equitable access to the water while acknowledging the interconnected nature of waterways.

Other options, such as water rights, refer more broadly to the legal allocations of water use that can be separate from land ownership, which might include permits for use rather than direct rights associated with land adjacent to water bodies. Easement rights involve the legal right to cross or utilize a specific portion of another's land for a defined purpose, and access rights concern the rights required to enter a property, usually for purposes other than water usage. Understanding these distinctions highlights why riparian rights specifically apply to landowners adjacent to rivers, enabling them to utilize nearby water resources legally and fairly.