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Courses/Engineering/Laws & Rules

Deep Dive into Drainage Rights

Navigate the intricate world of property rights, liabilities, and regulations surrounding water flow, from ancient doctrines to modern development challenges.

Created byHalfMoon Educationworkspace_premium
5.0
(4 reviews)
BeginnerUpdated Nov 28, 2025
Deep Dive into Drainage Rights

What You'll Learn

check_circleDistinguish drainage versus flowage rights.
check_circleIdentify various approaches to water rights.
check_circleRecognize creation of drainage rights.
check_circleUnderstand legal protections for water rights.
check_circleDetermine different types of legal entities.
check_circleExplore methods for terminating easements.

About This Course

Delve into the intricate world of drainage rights with "Deep Dive into Drainage Rights," led by seasoned professional land surveyor Wendy Lathrop. This comprehensive course illuminates the fundamental principles governing water flow and control, essential for land surveyors, civil engineers, legal professionals, and planners navigating complex land use regulations.

You will gain a firm understanding of:

  • The semi-philosophical and legal approaches (Civil Law, Common Enemy, Reasonable Use) that shape drainage regulations.
  • Distinctions between groundwater rules (Correlative Rights, Absolute Dominion, Reasonable Use, Restatement of Torts, Prior Appropriation) and surface water rights.
  • How natural forces like erosion and avulsion, alongside human activities such as creating impervious surfaces and terracing, impact water movement.
  • Critical differences between stormwater and floodplain management, including their regulatory frameworks and subsurface considerations.
  • Key definitions, including the nuances between drainage and flowage, and their practical implications.
  • The creation and termination of drainage easements, focusing on express grants, implication, necessity, prescription, dedication, and condemnation.
  • Legal protections and responsibilities of both dominant and servient estates, including exclusive versus non-exclusive easements.
  • Public versus private drainage rights, examining the roles of governmental entities, utilities, and constitutional protections.
  • Illustrative case studies, such as Trambarger v. Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railway Company, Fisher Otis Company v. The United States, and the landmark Dolan v. City of Tigard , to demonstrate real-world applications and evolving legal precedents.

By the end of this course, you will be equipped to identify, interpret, and address drainage-related challenges, ensuring compliance and mitigating potential disputes in property development and land management projects.

Your Instructors

HalfMoon Education
HalfMoon Education

Online Courses for Engineers

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HalfMoon Education is a nonprofit continuing education provider offering live webinars and on-demand courses for engineers, architects, landscape architects, land surveyors, attorneys, paralegals, accountants and others. Since 1996, we’ve helped thousands of professionals nationwide stay current with industry standards and codes, earn CE hours, and advance their expertise through practical, expert-led learning experiences. Learn more about us at: www.halfmoonseminars.org

Wendy  Lathrop, PLS, CFM, CFS
Wendy Lathrop, PLS, CFM, CFS

President and Owner of Cadastral Consulting, LLC

Ms. Lathrop is licensed as a professional land surveyor in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, and as a professional planner in New Jersey. She holds a master’s degree in Environmental Policy and has been involved in surveying since 1974 in projects ranging from construction to boundary to environmental land use disputes. Ms. Lathrop is also a certified floodplain manager through the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) and a Certified Floodplain Surveyor through the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors. A former adjunct instructor at Mercer County College in New Jersey, she has also taught as part of the team for the licensing exam review course at Drexel University in Pennsylvania. Ms. Lathrop has been teaching seminars for surveyors since 1986 and has been writing articles for surveyors since 1983. She is a contributing editor for The American Surveyor magazine, and she has four articles included in the American Bar Association’s text, Land Surveys: A Guide for Lawyers and Other Professionals. She and Stephen V. Estopinal, PLS, PE, co-authored a book entitled Professional Surveyors and Real Property Descriptions: Composition, Construction, and Comprehension, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in 2011. She is also on the faculty of GeoLearn, a web-based educational provider. Ms. Lathrop is a past president of the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors and of the National Society of Professional Surveyors, and she has served on the Board of Directors for the American Association for Geodetic Surveying.

Credit Information

What Students Are Saying

5.0
Student's Choice
4 reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

We are a registered provider with 327+ associations and regulatory bodies worldwide. We operate across 29 global markets including Canada, the US, Australia, and the UK. Every course page clearly displays its specific accreditations. Upon completion, you receive a professional certificate that can be validated online. Our certificates include all necessary accreditation details, credit hours, and completion dates, and are formatted specifically to meet the submission requirements of most global regulatory bodies.