Riparian rights are special rights that belong to people who have property that contains a natural waterway such a river, stream or lake.
Riparian rights allow such land owners to use the water in any legal way. For example, the water could be used for irrigation, drinking, recreation, etc.
The extent of riparian rights can vary from state to state, or even from county to county. For example, some counties may allow people with riparian rights to build docks that extend into the waterways, and some may not. Whether or not such rights are included can also depend on the particular waterway. For example, for some waterways that are narrow and that are used for navigating, governments may not allow dock building in order to prevent congestion.