Water Boundaries

BRUCE S. FLUSHMAN is a member of the firm of Washburn, Briscoe & McCarthy, PC.

"The author's interesting and lively presentation makes the book attractive as a possible addition to the professional bookshelf." (Journal of Water Resources, December 2002)

• Preface xviiAcknowledgements xxviiTable of Authorities xxix1 The Basics of Land Title 11.1 Introduction 11.2 United States’ Acquisition of the Public Domain 31.3 Recognition of Title Granted by Prior Sovereigns 41.4 The Public Domain and the United States’ Survey of the Public Lands 91.5 Authority to Dispose of Public Lands 151.6 Public Land Dispositions – In General 161.7 Swamp and Overflowed Land Grant to the States 171.8 State Sovereign Lands 231.9 Grants of State Lands 251.10 Limitations on State Disposal of Lands Adjacent to Tidal and Navigable Waters 261.11 Adverse Possession 351.12 Agreed Boundaries 381.13 Estoppel 391.14 Adverse Possession, Estoppel and Like Doctrines Inapplicability to Sovereign Lands or Land Held in Trust 391.15 Exception: When Estoppel May Be Applicable to the Sovereign 421.16 Chains of Title 442 What is the Choice-of-Law 462.1 Introduction 462.2 Interstate Political Boundary 492.3 Interstate Boundaries – Private Titles and Boundaries 512.4 Land Title and Boundary Disputes – In General 532.5 Land Title and Boundary Disputes When the United States Is Not a Disputing Landowner 542.6 Land Title and Boundary Disputes When the United States Is a Disputing Landowner 562.7 Later Cases 622.8 Effects of These Choice-of-Law Cases in Other Situations 643 Basic Legal Principles Defining Property Boundary Movement 683.1 Introduction 683.2 Variable Nature of Title and Boundary Disputes 703.3 Importance of the Location of the Property Boundary Along Tidal or Navigable Waterways 713.4 Ordinary High-Water Mark Property Boundary – In General 733.5 Purpose of the Ordinary High-Water Mark – To Separate Arable from Nonarable Lands 753.6 Definition of the Ordinary High-Water Mark 783.7 Illustration of the Components of the Dynamic Ordinary High-Water Mark 783.8 Surveying Techniques to Locate the Ordinary High-Water Mark – Meander Lines 813.9 Exceptions to Rule – When a Meander Line Can Be treated as a Property Boundary 873.10 Basic Legal Terms Describing the Process of Property Boundary Movement 903.11 Legal Terms Describing the Process of Change in Physical Location 923.12 Property Boundary Consequences of a Change in Geographic Location of the Boundary Watercourse 943.13 Presumptions and Burden of Proof in Title and Boundary Litigation 994 Property Boundary Determination Along the Open Ocean Coast 1014.1 Introduction 1014.2 Early Case Discussion of the Physical Indicia of the Location of the Ordinary High-Water Mark 1044.3 Introduction of Tidal Measurements to Physically Locate the Ordinary High-Water Mark 1054.4 Use of Indicia Other Than Tidal Measurements – Vegetation or Erosion Lines 1074.5 Refinement of the Use of Tidal Measurements as the Physical Indicia of the Ordinary High-Water Mark 1084.6 Explanation of the Tides, Technical Terms and Expressions 1104.7 The “Neap Tides” Confusion 1144.8 Foundation of Tidal Datums 1154.9 Tidal Datums 1174.10 Mean High-Water Line Adopted as the Physical Location of the Ordinary High-Water – The Borax Cases 1194.11 The California Aberration Dispelled – The Kent Estate Case 1224.12 The Location of the Ordinary Low-Water Mark 1224.13 The Open Coast Mean High-Water Line – Fluctuation of the Landform 1264.14 Property Boundary Effect of the Geographic Movement of the Open Coast Shoreline 1294.15 Effect of Presumptions on Coastal Property Boundaries 1344.16 Examples of types of Proof in Open Coast Property Title and Boundary Litigation 1354.17 Effect of the Burden of Proof on the Outcome of Coastal Title and Property Boundary Litigation 1385 Property Boundary Determination in Estuarine Areas 1415.1 Introduction 1415.2 Difficulty and Confusion in Title and Boundary Determination in Tidal Marshes 1475.3 Title Derivation of Tidal Marshlands 1485.4 Means to Remedy Uncertainties of Title to Tidal Marshlands 1585.5 Mean High-Water Line – The Physical Location of the Ordinary High-Water Mark Property Boundary in Tidal Marshes 1685.6 Legal Character of Tidal Marshlands Determined at the Time of the Swamp Lands Act Grant; Customary Property Boundary Principles Determine Effect of Change in Physical Location of Ordinary High-Water Mark 1705.7 The Tidal Marsh Regime and Changes to That Regime 1705.8 Property Boundary Effect and Changes in the Tide Marsh Regime 1725.9 Proof of the Legal Character of Tidal Marshes and the Physical Location of the Historic Ordinary High-Water Mark 1776 Property Boundary Determination Along and in Tidal River Regimes 1896.1 Introduction 1896.2 The Delta Regime and Delta Meadows 1956.3 The Impact of Human Activities on the Data 1986.4  The Impact of Human Activities on Delta Meadows 2006.5 Title to Delta Marshlands 2016.6 Tidality of the Adjacent Watercourse – Consequences and Proof 2046.7 The Impact of Property Boundary Movement Principles 2086.8 Proof of the Physical Location of the Historic Ordinary High-Water Mark – Use of USGS Maps 2096.9 Proof of the Physical Location of the Historic Ordinary High-Water Mark – Use of Physical Measurements 2106.10 Concluding Thoughts and Suggestions 2307 Property Boundary Determination Along and in Navigable, Nontidal rivers and Streams Regimes 2327.1 Introduction 2327.2 The Matter of Navigability 2357.3 Property Boundary Consequences of River Movement – In General 2467.4 Rules to Avoid Uncertainty in Deciding the Property Boundary Consequences of River Movement 2467.5 Property Boundary Consequences of River Movement – Accretion as Compared with Avulsion 2527.6 Impact of the Burden of Proof on the Property Boundary Consequences of River Movement 2637.7 The “True” Meaning of “Gradual and Imperceptible” 2647.8 Significance of the Cause of River’s Change in Geographic Location on the Property Boundary 2687.9 Reemergence 2717.10 Physical Indicia of the Ordinary High-Water Mark in a Riverine Environment 2727.11 Physical Indicia of the Ordinary Low-Water Mark in a Riverine Environment 2777.12 Proof in a Riverine Environment – Case Studies 2788 Property Boundary Determination Along Navigable Lakes 2828.1 Introduction 2828.2 Character of Title to the Beds of Navigable Lakes 2858.3 Resolution of the Quality and Character of State Title to the Beds of Navigable Lakes 2878.4 Navigability of Lakes 2918.5 What is a Lake? 2938.6 Location of the Ordinary High-Water Mark Property Boundary of Littoral Lands 2958.7 Vegetation/Erosion Line Test 3018.8 Physical Indicia of Ordinary Low-Water Mark Property Boundary of Littoral Lands 3078.9 Property Boundary Consequences of Littoral Shoreline Changes – In General 3118.10 The Mono Lake Recession Case – Application of the So-Called Federal Common Law Rule 3118.11 Proof in Lake Boundary and Title Cases 321Glossary 326Appendix A 338Appendix B 350Index 373