Back in the mid 1800's a mine started polluting a drinking river somewhere above Denver. Suit was brought, and the mine said "yeah we are responsible but it would be too burdensome to not pollute the river". Plantiffs lost. Legal intricacies aside, always seemed like a failure of the system to me, that they could do so with such impunity.

The lower Snake River dams were put up on a river held sacred by indigenous tribes, devastating salmon spawning, which the tribes and at least one species of orca relied on for food.

I'd say that's abuse stemming from treating water as property.