Opinion ID: 2341020
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: maryland law re: riparian rights and rights to sand and gravel

Text: Prior to 1862 the rights of owners of riparian land in Maryland regarding the dredging, taking and carrying away of sand and gravel from the beds of navigable waters were primarily controlled by the common law. The common law provided that navigable waters were vested in the public: Rivers or streams within the ebb and flow of tide, to high water mark, belong to the public, and in that sense are navigable waters; all the land below high water mark, being as much a part of the `jus publicum', as the stream itself. The owners of adjacent ground had no exclusive right to such lands, nor could any exclusive right to their use be acquired, otherwise than by an express grant from the State. Day v. Day, 22 Md. 530, 537 (1865). In 1862, the Maryland Legislature enacted Laws of Maryland (1862), Chapter 129, vesting riparian owners in Maryland with rights and privileges not recognized by the common law, in particular the right to all accretions to riparian land by recession of water by natural causes or otherwise. Day v. Day, supra, page 537; Laws of Maryland (1862), Chapter 129. Between 1862 and 1888, the common law's absolute prohibition on the taking of sand and gravel had deteriorated to the point that the Legislature of 1888 re-asserted its authority over the State's wetlands. It did so by enacting Laws of Maryland (1888), Chapter 362. Not at all dissimilar to Chapter 792, the validity of which is at issue in the case at bar, but broader in scope, Chapter 362 was a blanket prohibition against anyone from digging, dredging, taking and carrying away any sand, gravel or other material from the bed of the Potomac River, from its mouth to the uppermost boundary line of Prince George's County. Chapter 362, as does Chapter 792, provided criminal sanctions for violations, except that unlike Chapter 792 which imposes a fine only, Chapter 362 imposed a fine, confiscation of dredge, boat or vessel used in dredging, and imposed imprisonment of up to six months. [1] In 1900 the Legislature again slackened its absolute prohibition on the taking and carrying away of sand and gravel from the Potomac River by enacting Laws of Maryland (1900), Chapter 577. Chapter 577 excepted riparian owners on the Potomac River from Chapter 362's prohibition and permitted them to take and carry away sand and gravel from the river bed subject only to non-interference with navigation, oystering and fishing. [2] This exception was extended in 1906, along with the 1888 prohibition, to apply to all navigable waters in the State of Maryland. [3] The prohibition of 1888 and its exception and extension were codified in 1957 by Laws of Maryland (1957), Chapter 498, as Article 27, sec. 485. In 1970 the Legislature repealed Article 27, sec. 485, and replaced it with Laws of Maryland (1970), Chapter 241, Code, Article 66C, sec. 718 et seq. (Wetlands Act of 1970). Under Section 721 of the Wetlands Act of 1970, it is unlawful for a riparian owner, without a license issued by the Board of Public Works, to dredge, take and carry away sand, gravel or other material from the bed of any of the navigable rivers, creeks or branches in Maryland. Bd. of Pub. Works v. Larmar Corp., supra, page 53. Most recently, the Legislature enacted Chapter 792. Chapter 792, as hereinbefore recited, is more restrictive than the permit procedure of the Wetlands Act of 1970, but less prohibitive in geographical scope than Chapter 362, Laws of Maryland 1888. Potomac Company has filed application for the appropriate permits for dredging at the three named sites in compliance with the Wetlands Act of 1970. Hearings were held in December 1970 and April 1971. Decision is withheld, pending this litigation. The basic conflict here is whether the legislature by enacting Public Local Law, Chapter 792, may absolutely prohibit anyone, including Potomac Company, from dredging, taking and carrying away sand and gravel from the tidal waters or marshlands of Charles County.