Opinion No. 80-161 (1980) Ag

The Attorney General has received your request for an opinion wherein you ask, in effect, the following questions: 1. Is the Washita River in Garvin County a "Navigable Stream" as defined by law? 2. Does the State of Oklahoma own the Washita River bed from bank to bank? In an attempt to legally define what is meant by "Navigable Stream", research indicates that the United States Supreme Court has held this to be a factual question for the Courts and not capable of exact definition. U.S. v. Appalachian Electric Power Company, 311 U.S. 377,61 S.Ct. 29, 85 L.Ed. 243 (1940). The criterion used,…