Impoundment rights denoted a right granted only to the German nobility

Nobility

Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...

 and monasteries

Monastery

Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...

 to levy taxes for the damming of rivers and streams. These rights were eliminated by the Prussian

Prussia

Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...

reforms of the 19th century and replaced by state-granted rights motivated by the need for water management.

According to §8 and §9 of the German Federal Water Act (Wasserhaushaltsgesetz or WHG) the damming of surface water normally requires a permit or licence in accordance with §10 of the WHG.