Title 61, Waters

The sale of the irrigation works, franchises, and property of an irrigation district shall not affect or impair vested water rights, and the right to the use of water acquired under the laws of this state shall be assigned to the purchaser of the irrigation works of the district …

The sale of the property and franchises of an irrigation district shall not affect or release the lien of any assessment made by the district upon the lands therein, and such lien shall not be removed until such assessment is paid or the property sold for the payment thereof. The…

After all the property of an irrigation district is disposed of upon dissolution and all the obligations of the district are paid, the directors of the district shall file in the office of the county auditor of each county in which the district is situated, and in the department …

If a disorganized irrigation district shall have moneys in its treasury after the payment of all the debts and obligations of the district, such moneys shall be apportioned and paid to each landowner, who has paid fully all assessments against that landowner's land in the proport…

Dams, gates, and necessary ditches and canals for the purpose of controlling, regulating, and forcing the overflow of water in non-navigable rivers or streams within this state may be established, constructed, and maintained in the several counties of the state under the provisio…

The board of county commissioners of any organized county in this state, at any meeting of the board, by a majority vote of all the members, upon its own motion or on the petition of any person or persons interested, may appoint five property owners whose property lies within a f…

Any person appointed as a member of the board of flood irrigation, within ten days after appointment, shall take, subscribe, and file in the office of the county auditor an oath to perform the duties of the office faithfully, and within the same time shall make, execute, and file…

The members of the board of flood irrigation shall organize by electing from their number a chairman and a secretary. The board shall keep an office at the county seat and shall keep a record of its acts and proceedings and a separate record of the proceedings relating to each se…

The state's attorney of each county, as far as the state's attorney's other duties will permit, shall act as the legal adviser of the board of irrigation control. The board, however, by and with the consent of the board of county commissioners, may employ other counsel to advise …

A petition for the construction of a dam or a system of dams, including gates and other proper and necessary structures incidental thereto, may be made in writing to the board of flood irrigation. Such petition shall be signed by at least six freeholders of the district to be aff…

Upon the presentation of a petition, as provided for in section 61-12-06 and the filing of the same, the board of flood irrigation, as soon as practicable, shall proceed to examine the site of the proposed improvement and the territory or district to be benefited thereby. If, in …

The board of flood irrigation shall require a bond from the petitioners in a sum sufficient to pay all expenses of the required surveys and plans and specifications and of the flood irrigation board, if it should appear, after the engineer's report is filed, that the proposed imp…

For the purpose of making examinations or surveys or getting the necessary information for the preparation of plans and specifications, the board of flood irrigation, its engineers or employees, may enter upon any lands deemed proper and necessary.

Copies of the report and of the plans and specifications of the engineer shall be filed in the office of the county auditor in the county in which the improvement is proposed to be constructed, with the board of flood irrigation, and in such other places as the board of flood irr…

In locating an improvement, the board of flood irrigation, under the advice of the engineer, may vary from the location described in the petition, as may be deemed advisable.

Upon the filing of the engineer's report, the board of flood irrigation shall fix a date and public place for hearing objections to the petition, and the place of such hearing shall be some point in the vicinity of the proposed improvement, convenient and accessible for the major…

Notices of the hearing shall set out briefly the substance of the petition, the date of the filing of the engineer's report, and the date when the board will act upon the petition, and must be signed by the members of the board, or a majority thereof.

All persons whose land may be affected by any irrigation project provided for in this chapter may appear before the board of flood irrigation and fully express their opinion and offer evidence upon the matters pertaining thereto. Should two-thirds of the landowners whose land is …

If upon the examination by the board of flood irrigation, and after the filing with said board of the plans and specifications for any project, or if upon the hearing upon the petition, it shall appear that there was not sufficient cause for making such petition, or that the cost…

At the hearing provided for in section 61-12-12, the board of flood irrigation also shall determine what damage will be suffered, if any, by the owners of all lands within the district that will be affected by the building of such irrigation project. In determining such damages, …

Ten days' notice of the time when and the place where an assessment of damages will be reviewed by the board of flood irrigation shall be given by publication in the official newspaper in each county in which the proposed project, or any part thereof, is located, if any is publis…

Should any landowner believe that the assessment of the damages suffered has not been made fairly or equitably the landowner may appeal to the district court of the county in which the land is situated, by filing a petition with the clerk of the district court of the county, aski…

Upon the filing of a petition for the review of assessments in the office of the clerk of the district court of the county in which the land is situated, the clerk immediately shall notify the board of flood irrigation thereof. If it appears to the court upon the hearing that the…

The rights of way for the construction of any improvements required in an irrigation project, including all sites for dams, gates, and necessary ditches and canals, if not conveyed to the county by the owner, may be acquired by the board of flood irrigation by the exercise of the…

Upon the assessment by the board or court of the amount of damages to which the respective owners of land which may be damaged by the construction of a flood irrigation project may be entitled, and upon the assessment by the board or court of the amount of damages to which the re…

Upon acquiring the right of way, and after the completion of the assessment of damages as provided in this chapter, the board of flood irrigation shall assess the percentage of the cost of constructing and maintaining the flood irrigation project and providing the right of way th…

The assessment of benefits provided for in section 61-12-22 also is subject to review in the manner provided in section 28-34-01.

After the assessment of benefits has been made, as provided in this chapter, or has been confirmed, if an appeal has been taken, and the specific amount of each assessment has been extended as provided by this chapter, the board of flood irrigation shall make return thereof to th…

After the order establishing a project has been entered, the board of flood irrigation shall advertise bids in accordance with chapter 48-01.2 for the construction of all work required, as shown by the plans and specifications on file.

After the letting of a contract for the construction of flood irrigation works, the board of flood irrigation shall make a computation of the cost of the project which shall include: 1. All the expenses of locating and establishing the same, including the cost of right of way. 2.…

After fixing the cost of a flood irrigation project, the board of flood irrigation shall carry out upon the assessment list the specific amount which each lot or tract of land benefited by the project for which the tax is levied is liable to pay on account of procuring the same a…

The flood irrigation taxes shall be collected by the county treasurer and all moneys so collected shall be credited to the flood irrigation fund to which they belong, and the county treasurer shall be the custodian of such funds. Payment of all the expenses and costs of locating …

In case the amount realized from the assessment made for the construction of any flood irrigation project shall not be sufficient to pay therefor or to complete the same and pay all fees and incidental expenses, or to pay and retire any bonds issued in connection with the constru…

The board of flood irrigation shall have the exclusive care, management, and control of a flood irrigation project, but for such purpose may enter into a contract with responsible parties for the operation thereof, and may also, when necessary, enter into a contract with the Unit…

Whenever it shall be deemed necessary by the boards of flood irrigation of two or more counties in this state to construct or extend a project through or into two or more counties in the state, the several boards of flood irrigation in the counties into or through which such prop…

The collection of no tax or assessment levied or ordered to be levied to pay for the location and construction of any project of flood irrigation laid out and constructed under this chapter shall be enjoined perpetually or declared absolutely void in consequence: 1. Of any error …

If any proceedings for the location, establishment, or construction of any project under the provisions of this chapter have been, or hereafter shall be, enjoined, vacated, set aside, declared void, or voluntarily abandoned by the board of flood irrigation in consequence of any e…

Each board of flood irrigation shall make a report to the board of county commissioners of all projects begun, in process of construction, or finished, and also shall render a full account of all moneys which shall come into its hands. Every member of the board of flood irrigatio…

Each member of a board of flood irrigation shall receive for services three dollars per day for the time actually spent by the member in the performance of the duties of office. Any member or officer of the board may receive additional compensation for special services rendered t…

Any member of the board of flood irrigation shall have the power to administer any oath required in any proceeding had before the board or in which such member may be called to act officially.

The board of county commissioners of any county in which any flood irrigation project is proposed to be located and constructed shall issue bonds upon the written request of the board of flood irrigation. Such bonds shall be known as flood irrigation bonds and shall be in such su…

Flood irrigation bonds issued as provided in this chapter shall bear interest at a rate or rates resulting in an average net interest cost not exceeding twelve percent on those issues which are sold at private sale. There is no interest rate ceiling on those issues sold at public…

Any landowner who may desire to pay the entire amount assessed against the landowner's land for the entire cost of any flood irrigation project, including warrants and interest thereon, prior to the sale of bonds may pay into the county treasury the amount of said assessments, fo…

The county auditor shall give notice of the determination of the board of county commissioners to issue bonds by publishing a notice in the official newspaper of the county at least fifteen days before the date of selling said bonds. Said notice shall designate the project propos…

The board of county commissioners shall provide sinking funds for the payment at maturity of each series of bonds issued and for the payment of the annual interest on the same if serial bonds are issued.

If bonds are issued on the amortization plan, the board of county commissioners shall provide funds for the payment of each annual amortization maturity, both for the payment of interest and for the principal portion of said maturity.