United States Water Records

United States Water Records

Introduction
From the very earliest European settlement of the North American Continent, water rights and ownership have been an ongoing issue. Ownership of real property did not always automatically confer rights to water either adjacent to or flowing through the property. Water law dates back into Roman times and even further into antiquity. Present court litigation over water rights often involves extensive investigations into the oldest verifiable uses of the water. In all of this, the investigation of water rights and research into ownership can be a productive way to provide genealogical information. Where allowed by law, water rights could be bought and sold just as any other property right. In addition, water rights could be inherited.

In most geographic areas, water rights were registered through a system of water shares or deeds. Sometimes these rights were included with the sale of real property, in other areas they were transferred separately from real estate transfers and controlled by some specially created commission or agency.