Resource information
With a view to effecting the environmental protection of the bed of rivers and lakes, which dry up and become exposed as a result of a natural or man-made change in the former course of the river or surface of the lake, the statute reverses the rules governing ownership of newly-exposed river or lake beds (called riveraine and lacustrine "appurtenances"), which henceforth shall accrue to the State in lieu of the owners of riparian or coastal land. As a result, uses of such areas come within the scope of authority of pre-existing provincial commissions especially created to manage the riveraine and lacustrine "appurtenances" belonging to the public domain. In addition, the Act has shifted the statutory preference for the use of such lands by the owners of riparian or coastal land for their own private purposes to the local governments for purposes of creating natural parks or reserves.
