Few legal issues affect growth and development in Utah like water law. The history of water law in the state is as old as Utah’s earliest settlements. Since it’s beginnings in 1882, Nielsen and Senior has developed a deep understanding of Utah water law and water rights and has represented numerous clients in the acquisition, disposition, and transfer of water rights. Water law deals with the rights appurtenant to the use and ownership of water in Utah. In the western United States, water has always been a scarce resource and a unique and extensive body of law has grown up around its use. Once acquired, water rights are a property right which carry with them constitutional protection. These rights can be sold, bought, leased, or otherwise divested or acquired. Water law has always sought to balance public and private interests in the water. Water law must reflect the differences between traditional real property such as land and water, such as water’s portability, its universal necessity, and its ability to spread contaminants. The attorneys at Nielsen and Senior have served numerous clients in protecting , acquiring, and transferring water rights and have provided the legal counsel needed for many complex developments, projects, businesses, and transactions.