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(AS 46.15).A water right allows a specific amount of water from a specific water source to be diverted, impounded,or withdrawn for a specific use.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 wherethe water is being used for as long as the water is used. If the land is sold, the water right transferswith the land to the new owner, unless the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) approves its separationfrom the land. In Alaska, because water wherever it naturally occurs is a common property resource, landownersdo not have automatic rights to ground water or surface water. For example, if a farmer has a creek runningthrough his property, he will need a water right to authorize his use of a significant amount of water. Usingwater without a permit or certificate does not give the user a legal right to use the water.This shape file characterizes the geographic representation of land parcels within the Stateof Alaska contained by the Subsurface Water Rights category. It has beenextracted from data sets used to produce the State status plats. This data set includescases 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. AdditionalLAS case-file and customer information may be obtained at: http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/las/LASMenu.cfmThose requiring more information regarding State land records should contact the Alaska Departmentof Natural Resources Public Information Center directly.
