Tyler vs. Wilkinson

EBENEZER TYLER VS. Abraham Wilkinson was a court case decided in 1826 that continues to have important implications for the management of water resources in the United States. The case is also widely known as the Sargent's Trench Trial, as this was the name of the stretch of water above the water wheel over which the case was fought.

Tyler versus Wilkinson centers on the ownership of riverine water resources and the legal power to use them when they act as a finite resource. During the 19th century, water wheels had become an important source of power and were employed both in family farms and, increasingly, in larger-scale industrial enterprises. Development had already had a negative impact on the Sargent's Trench as it had previously been ...