Advanced Paralegal: Water Law

About this course

What you’ll learn

This course covers key principles and legal frameworks of water rights and law in the U.S., including historical influence on the West, differences between prior appropriation and riparian doctrines, and rights and limitations of riparian ownership. Topics include water transportation, criteria for water appropriation, groundwater management, rainwater rights, rights under various doctrines, transfer of water rights, issues faced by landlocked landowners, hybrid systems, surface water versus appropriations, navigability, aquifer regulation, diffused water use, conjunctive use, environmental law enforcement, and Native American rights. The course provides a comprehensive understanding of legal and environmental water management.

Learning objectives

Participants will demonstrate the following skills through successful completion of all required coursework and assignments:

1. Analyze the historical development, legal frameworks, and environmental considerations that have shaped water law in the United States, with particular emphasis on the western expansion.
2. Compare and synthesize the principles of prior appropriation and riparian doctrines, evaluating their implications for water rights allocation, transferability, and management across diverse legal and ecological contexts.
3. Assess the interplay between surface water and groundwater rights, including the legal mechanisms governing their use, transfer, and regulation, with attention to hybrid legal systems and conjunctive management strategies.
4. Evaluate the effectiveness of current legal and regulatory frameworks, including environmental laws and regulations governing aquifers, miner’s water use, and river basin management, in promoting sustainable and equitable water resource utilization.
5. Examine Native American water rights in comparison with state and federal laws, analyzing their impact on resource distribution and legal precedent.
6. Demonstrate an integrated understanding of navigability, diffused water uses, and legal remedies for landlocked landowners, formulating comprehensive approaches to complex water rights issues.

Continuing Education Information

This is an accelerated course. You will be expected to spend an average of at least 8 hours per week reading and completing assignments. Please note that extensions will not be granted for this online course. This course is the equivalent of at least 45 clock hours of study. 70% is the minimum passing score on all exams and assignments for this course.