The Utah Supreme Court handed a major victory to anglers and advocates of recreation on the Weber River Tuesday.

The court ruled a one-mile stretch of the river a “navigable water” since people regularly used it to float railroad ties and mine timbers around the time of statehood. That means anglers, tubers and boaters can walk on the riverbed, even where the water flows through private property.

“Our rivers are part of our heritage, and have been useful to all Utahans since statehood,” said Utah Stream Access Coalition president Kris Olson in an emailed statement. “They are ‘gifts of providence,’ our natural resource, and now in the case of this stretch of the Weber, secured for future generations.”

LINK (via: The Standard Examiner)