natural waterway
River or brook
A natural waterway is a body of water formed by nature rather than human construction—rivers, streams, creeks, and channels carved by geological processes over time.
The term often appears in legal and regulatory contexts distinguishing natural water features from canals, ditches, and other artificial channels: The law protects natural waterways from pollution.
Development is restricted within 100 feet of any natural waterway.
- riverLarge flowing watercourse
- mountain streamFlowing water descending highlands
- streamSteady continuous flow
- deltaSymbol denoting variation
- creekNarrow natural watercourse
valley · habitat · runoff · floodplain · flood zone · brook · tidal creek · spawning ground · biodiversity · estuary · sacred site · lazy river · fjord · aquifer · spring · watershed · tributary · river mouth
natural waterwaycanal
Dug water passage
aqueduct · irrigation ditch · drainage canal · ship canal · shipping canal
natural waterwayoverland route
Path traversing terrain, not water
mountain pass · trail · footpath · road
natural, nature, naturals, naturally, naturalness, naturalize, naturalized, naturalization, unnatural