Without Prejudice.
In any description of land, the land would not necessarily include water save for lakes or man-made ponds. Different jurisdictions have different measurements for distances and meanings of those distances from certain bodies of water.
For starters, look up the term "queens chain" (66 feet if remembered correctly). There might also be a maritime/admiralty factor pertaining to land within so many feet from a river or large lake. Perhaps also see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riparian_water_rights.