A water right is a legal right to use surface or ground water under the
Alaska Water Use Act (AS 46.15). A water right allows a specific amount
of water from a specific water source to be diverted, impounded, or
withdrawn for a specific use. When a water right is granted, it becomes
appurtenant to the land where the water is being used for as long as the
water is used. If the land is sold, the water right transfers with the
land to the new owner, unless the Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
approves its separation from the land. In Alaska, because water
wherever it naturally occurs is a common property resource, landowners
do not have automatic rights to ground water or surface water. For
example, if a farmer has a creek running through his property, he will
need a water right to authorize his use of a significant amount of
water. Using water without a permit or certificate does not give the
user a legal right to use the water.
This dataset includes additional information extracted from the Alaska
Land Administration System by the Conservation Biology Institute.
This shape file characterizes the geographic representation of point
locations within the State of Alaska contained by the Surface Water
Rights category. It has been extracted from data sets used to produce
the State status plats. This data set includes cases noted on the
digital status plats up to one day prior to data extraction.
Each feature has an associated attribute record, including a Land
Administration System (LAS) file-type and file-number which serves as an
index to related LAS case-file information. Additional LAS case-file and
customer information may be obtained at: http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/las/LASMenu.cfm.
Those requiring more information regarding State land records should
contact the Alaska Department of Natural Resources Public Information
Center directly.