Navigable Waters

Summary of Navigable Waters

Bodies of water, including the sea, rivers, and some lakes, over which the public has a right to sail and anchor. This right of passage conveys no claim upon the lands underlying the water; title to such land remains with the owner or the state (except in the case of open seas), although the title holder may not impede innocent passage over the waterway. Various pronouncements of the United Nations have declared the lands beneath the open seas to be the “common heritage of mankind.”

(Main Author: William J. Miller)

Navigable Waters and the American Legislation

See the following entries from the U.S. Encyclopedia of Law:

• Clean Water Act
• National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System