What is navigability?
At statehood, the federal government gave the ownership of the beds and banks of navigable waterways to the public. The federal government did this to ensure that every state entering the Union after the original thirteen states had the same rights as did those first states. Among the rights held by the original 13 states was that they owned the beds and banks of all navigable waterways. This right ensured that the public and commerce had free access to navigable waterways.
