term:

Navigable Waters

navigable waters n pl

: waters that are capable of being navigated (as for commerce) and to which federal admiralty jurisdiction and specific environmental regulations apply [it is the national goal that the discharge of pollutants into the navigable waters be eliminated by 1985 "U.S. Code"]

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.