What it means in practice
Water rights can be lost or limited if not used as required. How “beneficial” is defined shapes whether ecological uses, like leaving water in a stream to protect habitat, are treated as legitimate or overlooked.
Why it matters for rights of nature
This is where values show up in law. Whether keeping water in rivers counts as “beneficial” can determine how well a river can be protected in practice.
See also
Instream flow; Watershed; Public trust doctrine
