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Legal Wars Erupting Over Water Rights

Texas isn't the only state facing legal fights with others over water rights. NPR looks at what's behind the wars and how they're resolved.

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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

Texas isn't the only state facing legal fights with others over water rights. An NPR report examines the controversies over water rights that result when rivers flow across state and international boundaries. In the U.S., two different doctrines determine surface water rights: the “riparian” doctrine in the East and the “prior appropriation” doctrine in the West.

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