The Riparian Accord of the Lowlands

Document

RIPARIAN ACCORD OF THE LOWLANDS Effective Date: Third Cycle of the Great Thaw Signatories: The Silt-Mother; The Cold-Vein; The Glass-Run I. TERRITORIAL FLOOD ALLOCATIONS 1.1. The Silt-Mother is permitted saturation of the Southern Delta, not to exceed 400 square leagues per thaw cycle. Any overflow into the Central Basin shall be deemed a trespass. 1.2. The Cold-Vein is granted primary inundation rights to the High Pass and the Northern Foothills. Thermal discharge must remain below 4 degrees Celsius during the transition period to prevent premature ice-melt in neighboring zones. 1.3. The Glass-Run shall maintain a strict channel within the Crystal Vale. Flooding of the adjacent riparian meadows is permitted only during the Vernal Peak, provided the water clarity remains above 92 percent on the Transparency Scale. II. MINERAL AND SEDIMENT QUOTAS 2.1. The Silt-Mother agrees to a maximum deposition of 12 percent clay by volume in shared tributaries. Excess sludge resulting in the choking of the Glass-Run's headwaters will be subject to mandatory dredging at the Silt-Mother's expense. 2.2. The Cold-Vein shall provide a minimum of 500 metric tons of glacial flour to the downstream basins to maintain soil fertility. Failure to meet this quota constitutes a breach of the fertility covenant. 2.3. The Glass-Run shall refrain from depositing quartz shards or abrasive silica in the Silt-Mother's slow-water zones. Such deposits disrupt the nesting patterns of benthic organisms and will be treated as environmental contamination. III. MEANDER LIMITATIONS AND CHANNEL INTEGRITY 3.1. No signatory shall deviate from their established center-line by more than 5 degrees per century. Any unauthorized meandering into a neighboring basin requires a formal petition to the Tri-River Council. 3.2. The creation of oxbow lakes without prior notification is prohibited. Any loop created in violation of this clause must be reclaimed or drained within two lunar cycles. 3.3. Erosion of the shared border-banks shall be monitored. If the Cold-Vein's current causes a bank-collapse into the Glass-Run's territory, the Cold-Vein shall provide compensatory flow to the affected reach for three seasons. IV. PENALTIES AND ARBITRATION 4.1. Minor infractions (e.g., temporary turbidity spikes) shall be resolved via the exchange of tributary rights. 4.2. Major infractions (e.g., unauthorized basin seizure) shall result in a mandatory diversion. The offending party shall have their primary current redirected into the Dead-Sump for one lunar cycle. 4.3. All disputes regarding silt quality or flow velocity shall be settled by the appointed Surveyor of the Lowlands. The Surveyor's measurements are final; no appeals are permitted.