Riparian Boundaries for Missouri: A Guide to Surveying Inland Nontidal Riparian and Littoral Boundaries

“Riparian Boundaries for Missouri” is a manual that covers all aspects of riparian and littoral boundaries in Missouri. Much of the book is applicable nationally to inland nontidal riparian and littoral waters, but it is written specifically for Missouri. A complete synthesis on the subject, it is written for the Missouri Professional Surveyor, the student in a college-level course studying boundary control legal principles, and for the licensed Professional Surveyor in another state seeking licensure in Missouri by comity. The book’s focus is the boundary surveyor, but it is also written to be helpful to others with an interest in riparian and littoral lands: Landowners, mappers, GIS professionals, title attorneys, real estate agents, state and federal agencies dealing with Missouri’s waters will all find the manual useful. CHAPTER 1 describes how riparian boundaries differ in many ways from their upland brethren…they move. How does one survey and the write a boundary description for a tract that changes shape as its riparian boundary moves? (There’s a way.) The term “Navigability” that means different things to different people in different contexts is discussed. CHAPTER 2 defines and describes the terms used in riparian and littoral boundaries. Some of these terms have different meanings in lex aquae compared to a strict scientific setting. CHAPTER 3 describes the title aspects of riparian boundaries. How is title affected by river movements such as accretion, avulsion, erosion, re-emergence and reliction? What are the effects on title of artificial improvements that change a stream’s course? CHAPTER 4 provides recommendations for surveying the riparian tract. How does one construe the riparian boundary description that describes the lands as being “north of the river? “ How does one survey the thread or thalweg or ordinary low (or high) water line? All plats of survey of riparian or littoral tracts need surveyor’s notes that describe what the survey shows relative to the water boundary. Such example notes are provided in the manual. CHAPTER 5 discusses the Missouri state boundaries that are riparian. Missouri has a river boundary with seven states on four rivers. The chapter also discusses Missouri’s county boundaries that are riparian and littoral. Appendix A gives Missouri statutes that apply to riparian/littoral issues. Appendix B is a set of test questions applicable to the manual’s subjects. Included is an Annotated Bibliography on inland nontidal riparian and littoral writings. The manual is indexed. ABOUT THE AUTHOR. The book’s author is Dr. Richard L. Elgin, PS, PE. Dick is ideally suited to write this manual, being that rare Professional Surveyor with a PhD (University of Arkansas, 1982); an entire professional career in surveying and mapping (raised in the business, then owner and president of a surveying-only firm in Rolla, MO for 22 years); a surveying educator (on the faculty at Missouri S&T for 33 years as both an Assistant and Adjunct Professor); coauthor of “Legal Principles of Boundary Location for Arkansas” the “Sokkia Ephemeris” and “The U.S. Public Land Survey System for Arkansas;” author of “The U.S. Public Land Survey System for Missouri” and “Riparian Boundaries for Arkansas” and ”Shoulda Played the Flute…An Army Helicopter Pilot’s Year in Vietnam.” Dick has served on the Missouri Licensing Board. He is a Past President of MSPS, active in Missouri S&T Alumni Association, active in Vietnam Veteran affairs, and is a member of both S&T’s and the University of Arkansas’ Academy of Civil Engineers. He’s received several awards for this technical-professional work from both state and national professional societies. He rides a Moots bicycle and drives a perfectly restored 1969 Mark II Mini Cooper “S.”