Prior appropriation doctrine

{
  "id": "MLC-T-LAW-003900",
  "term": "Prior appropriation doctrine",
  "field": "Law",
  "definition": "A legal principle governing water rights, primarily in the western United States, where the first person to divert and use water for a beneficial purpose acquires a superior right to that water. This doctrine operates on the principle of \"first in time, first in right.\" It contrasts with riparian rights, which are based on land ownership adjacent to a water source.",
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/law/prior-appropriation-doctrine/"
}