Title 51, Waters, Water Resources, Water Districts, Drainage, and Flood Control

All proceedings instituted under Section 51-33-105 shall be by petition addressed to the court having jurisdiction of said proceedings, as aforesaid, and, when executed as hereinafter directed, filed with the clerk of said court. Said petition shall be signed by twenty-five per c…

After said petition has been filed with the clerk and if the same pray for a hearing in vacation, the clerk shall thereupon refer the same to the chancellor of said court with the request that he set the matter and fix the time, date, and place for the hearing thereof by him in v…

(a) The general powers granted to drainage districts by the laws under which they were created and those granted to drainage districts under the provisions of Sections 51-33-1 through 51-33-9 are further hereby expanded to permit all drainage districts created under said sections…

At the time, date, and place set for the hearing of said petition as above provided, the court or chancellor in vacation shall at said time, date, and place also take up, examine, determine, and allow all claims of indebtedness of said district, bonded or otherwise. Any claims of…

In the event the petition as filed shows and the court or chancellor in vacation finds that said district has not paid off all of its outstanding indebtedness, bonded or otherwise, but owns easements, rights of way, canals, ditches, drains, or other property which can be sold for…

The court or chancellor in vacation is hereby authorized at the time, date, and place of the first hearing of all of the aforesaid matters, as well as at any other time he might order, to allow and determine all claims of indebtedness of said district, bonded or otherwise, and to…

If it shall be made to appear to the court or chancellor in vacation on the hearing of any proceedings filed under Sections 51-33-105 through 51-33-121 that the district will have funds on hand after all of its debts and all expenses and court costs incident to said proceeding ha…

The hearing and trial of any proceeding instituted under the terms of Sections 51-33-105 through 51-33-121 shall be conducted as other hearings and trials are conducted in the chancery court or by the chancellor in vacation, except as hereinabove provided. Any person feeling aggr…

Sections 51-33-105 through 51-33-121 shall be cumulative and additional and supplementary to any and all other laws of the State of Mississippi which provide for the dissolution of drainage districts and for the affairs of said districts to be wound up. In the event a petition fi…

Drainage districts heretofore organized under the provisions of any law and amendments thereto not brought forward in this code shall have the privilege of continuing to operate under such law, and the adoption of this code shall not be held to repeal any such law or laws and ame…

The duties, powers and responsibilities of a drainage district with water impoundment structures constructed with financing from the United States under Public Law 534 or Public Law 566, 83rd Congress of the United States, or both, may be transferred to the county soil and water …

(1) A drainage district may be dissolved and its powers, duties and responsibilities transferred to the county soil and water conservation district by:(a) The commissioners of the drainage district determining and spreading on the district’s minutes that it is in the best interes…

It is the intention of Sections 51-33-9 through 51-33-15 to permit all drainage districts to enter into cooperative agreements and programs and cooperate in carrying out the purposes of Public Law 566, 83rd Congress of the United States, or other laws of the national Congress per…

Upon the exercise of any power under the provisions of Sections 51-33-1 through 51-33-9 or under the provisions of Sections 51-33-11 through 51-33-15, a drainage district shall be and become known as a “water management district.”

Drainage districts existing or hereafter created under the laws of the State of Mississippi and having secured the powers conferred by Sections 51-33-1 through 51-33-9, may borrow funds for any purpose authorized by law from state agencies, political subdivisions of the state, ot…

The commissioners of any drainage district organized and existing under any law of this state are hereby authorized and empowered to issue and sell the negotiable certificate of indebtedness of such district as herein provided, for the purpose of providing funds with which to cle…

Such certificates of indebtedness shall in no case be issued in a principal amount which, when added to any outstanding certificates of indebtedness issued hereunder, will exceed fifteen per centum (15%) of the total amount of benefits assessed and confirmed against the land and …

For the purpose of providing for the payment of the principal of and the interest on any certificates of indebtedness issued hereunder, there shall annually be levied upon all lands and other property within such district, in proportion to the benefits assessed and confirmed ther…

Before issuing any certificates of indebtedness hereunder, the commissioners of such district shall give notice of their intention to do so and shall cause such notice to be published in some newspaper having a general circulation in each county wherein such district is situated.…

Sections 51-33-19 through 51-33-27 shall be deemed to be full and complete authority for the issuance of certificates of indebtedness of drainage districts; and none of the present restrictions, requirements, conditions, or limitations of law applicable to the borrowing of money …

Drainage districts already created or to be created under the laws of the State of Mississippi are hereby authorized and empowered to enter into cooperative agreements with the U.S. Corps of Engineers to carry out the purposes for which the districts were created, including the p…

(a) To the end that soil and water conservation measures may be improved, flood control and drainage programs strengthened, and the land and water economy of the state stabilized, the following additional powers are conferred upon presently existing drainage districts in the Stat…

Drainage districts already created or to be created under the laws of this state are hereby authorized and empowered to borrow money from the Farmers’ Home Administration, an agency of the United States, to be used for the purposes for which said districts are created and upon su…

All drainage districts of this state may, in the discretion of the drainage commissions of said district, permit the use of water from the drainage canals and the putting into drainage canals of water from natural bodies of water or streams, for the purpose of irrigation of farm …

The drainage commissioners of all drainage districts of this state are hereby authorized, for the purpose of irrigation of farm lands as set out in Section 51-33-33, to contract with the users thereof for the funds with which to provide the water and maintain the ditches for irri…

For the purpose of funding or paying any legal indebtedness, now or hereafter outstanding, of any drainage district organized and existing under any law or laws of the state of Mississippi or that may be hereafter organized under any law of the state, to the extent that same when…

For the purpose of refunding bonded indebtedness, now or hereafter outstanding, of any drainage district organized and existing under any law or laws of the state of Mississippi or that may be hereafter organized under any law of the state, whenever such drainage district is or m…

The administrative or governing authority of each such district issuing refunding bonds as above provided and the board of supervisors of the county or counties shall annually levy a tax upon all lands and property subject thereto in such district, in proportion to the benefits o…

No sale of tax lands in any drainage district organized under any of the laws of this state shall be made unless and until the state land commissioner is furnished by the applicant with a certificate signed by the president or secretary of the board of commissioners or other gove…

The board of drainage commissioners of any drainage district organized under any of the drainage laws of this state are hereby authorized to purchase from the state any lands lying within such drainage district which have been sold to the state for delinquent taxes and the title …

When lands are purchased by the board of drainage commissioners of any drainage district under the provisions of Section 51-33-45, such land shall be liable thereafter for the state and county taxes levied and assessed against the same to the same extent as if such lands were own…

The board of commissioners of any drainage district operating under any of the laws of this state may sell, lease, or rent, on the terms and conditions as hereinafter set out, the lands located within the limits of said district which have been heretofore purchased or may hereaft…

Before the additional powers granted by Sections 51-33-1 through 51-33-9 shall become applicable to any drainage district in this state, the commissioners of such district shall file a petition in the chancery court requesting such additional powers as set forth herein, whereupon…

Any lands purchased by any drainage district from the State of Mississippi shall not be sold by said district so purchasing the same for less than the amount paid by said district to said state therefor. However, except as provided in Section 51-29-81, any lands purchased by any …

The lands authorized to be sold under the terms of Sections 51-33-49 through 51-33-57 may be sold by the commissioners of the district acquiring the same on such terms and conditions as the board of commissioners of the drainage district selling said lands may designate for the s…

The lands authorized to be leased or rented under the terms of Sections 51-33-49 through 51-33-57 may be leased or rented by the board of commissioners of the drainage district owning the same for a term not to exceed three years at such annual rental and on such terms and condit…

The deed conveying any lands authorized to be sold by any drainage district under the terms of Sections 51-33-49 through 51-33-57 and any lease contract leasing any lands of any drainage district authorized to be leased under the terms of said sections shall be made under the sea…

Any owner of land situated in any drainage district of the State of Mississippi, which has an outstanding bonded indebtedness, may secure the release of his land or any part thereof from the lien of the assessment of benefits thereon for drainage purposes by paying to the drainag…

In any drainage district of the State of Mississippi which has an outstanding bonded indebtedness which has been refunded through the Reconstruction Finance Corporation of the United States, and in which all of said refunded indebtedness is owned by the Reconstruction Finance Cor…

Any landowner desiring to take advantage of Sections 51-33-61 and 51-33-63 shall first make application to the drainage commissioners of the district in which his land is located, and it shall thereupon be the duty of the drainage commissioners of such drainage district to enter …

In any drainage district of the State of Mississippi which has an outstanding bonded indebtedness, any landowner may secure a release of his lands, or any part thereof, from the lien of the assessment of benefits thereon for drainage purposes by paying to the drainage commissione…

Any landowner desiring to take advantage of Sections 51-33-65 and 51-33-67 shall first make application to the drainage commissioners of the drainage district in which his land is located, and it shall thereupon be the duty of the drainage commissioners of such drainage district …

In any drainage district in the State of Mississippi in which more than fifty per cent of the land in such drainage district has prior to March 31, 1944, been forfeited to the state for taxes, the title thereto has matured in the state, and title to which is on said date in the S…

In areas not presently within the boundaries of an existing drainage district, and in areas partially within and partially without the boundaries of existing drainage districts, the real property owners may proceed to organize a drainage district for carrying out the purposes of …

Any landowner desiring to take advantage of Sections 51-33-69 through 51-33-73 shall first make application to the drainage commissioners of the district in which his land is located, giving the description of the land sought to be released and whether he desires to pay for the r…

The amount required to be paid to obtain the release provided for in Sections 51-33-69 through 51-33-73 may be paid in cash, bonds, interest coupons of such drainage district, or by credit on any judgment rendered against the district on defaulted bonds and coupons; however, the …