High water mark
A high water mark is a point that represents the maximum rise of a body of water over land. Such a mark is often the result of a
A high water mark is not necessarily an actual physical mark,[4] but it is possible for water rising to a high point to leave a lasting physical impression such as floodwater staining. A landscape marking left by the high water mark of ordinary tidal action may be called a strandline and is typically composed of debris left by high tide. The area at the top of a beach where debris is deposited is an example of this phenomenon. Where there are tides, this line is formed by the highest position of the tide, and moves up and down the beach on a fortnightly cycle.[5] The debris is chiefly composed of rotting seaweed, but can also include a large amount of litter, either from ships at sea or from sewage outflows.[6]
Ecological significance
The strandline is an important
Legal significance
One kind of high water mark is the ordinary high water mark or average high water mark, the high water mark that can be expected to be produced by a body of water in non-flood conditions. The ordinary high water mark may have legal significance and is often being used to demarcate property boundaries.[8] The ordinary high water mark has also been used for other legal demarcations. For example, a 1651 analysis of laws passed by the English Parliament notes that for persons granted the title Admiral of the English Seas, "the Admirals power extended even to the high water mark, and into the main streams".[9]
In the
In 2016, the Court of Appeals of Indiana ruled that land below the OHWM (as defined by common law) along Lake Michigan is held by the state in trust for public use.[12]
See also
- Chart datum
- Mean high water
- Measuring storm surge
- Terrace (geology), benches left by lakes
- Wash margin
References
- ^ J. Curtis Weaver and Thomas J. Zembrzuski, Jr., "August 31, 1993, Storm Surge and Flood of Hurricane Emily on Hatteras Island, North Carolina", in Charles A. Perry, L. J. Combs, Summary of floods in the United States, January 1992 through September 1993 (1995), U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2499, p. 260, stating: Documentation of notable coastal floods provides scientists and flood-plain managers with useful data and technical information for an improved understanding of the hazard and for improved management of flood-prone areas. Of particular importance is documentation of the duration of flooding (and rates of rise and recession of floodwaters), maximum flood elevations and depths, and delineation of the extent of storm-surge flooding.
- ^ Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011), p. 137.
- ^ Nancy McTigue, James M. Symons, The Water Dictionary: A Comprehensive Reference of Water Terminology (2011), p. 284.
- ^ Bruce S. Flushman, Water Boundaries: Demystifying Land Boundaries Adjacent to Tidal Or Navigable Waters (2001), p. 73.
- ^ a b "Strandline" (PDF). Durham Biodiversity Partnership.
- ^ North Cornwall District Council. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2007-10-18.
- ^ Gunnleyg Eldevig & Andrew Flack. "Strand Line". Ecology of Portland Harbour. The Heritage Coast.
- ^ Bruce S. Flushman, Water Boundaries: Demystifying Land Boundaries Adjacent to Tidal Or Navigable Waters (2001), p. 72.
- ^ Nathaniel Bacon, The Continuation of an Historicall Discourse, of the Government of England until the end of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth (1651), p. 44.
- ^ "Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR)". Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR).
- ^ "USACE 2005 OHWM Regulatory Guidance Letter" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-07. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
- ^ "Gunderson v. State of Indiana, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Court of Appeals of Indiana, Opinion 46A03-1508-PL-1116, December 7, 2016" (PDF). 9 November 2020.