(1) The district has the following powers:

(a) To have duties, privileges, immunities, rights, liabilities, and disabilities pertaining to a body corporate and politic and constituting a municipal corporation and political subdivision of the state established as an instrumentality exercising public and essential governmental and proprietary functions to provide for the public health, safety, and general welfare; but, the district shall not have the power to construct, condemn, purchase, acquire, lease, add to, maintain, or conduct and operate a water works to provide domestic, municipal, and industrial water to urban areas;

(b) To have perpetual existence and succession;

(c) To adopt, have, and use a corporate seal and to alter the same at pleasure;

(d) To sue and to be sued and to be a party to suits, actions, and proceedings;

(e) To commence, maintain, intervene in, defend, compromise, terminate by settlement or otherwise, and otherwise participate in and assume the cost and expense of any and all actions and proceedings begun and pertaining to the district, its board, its officers, agents, or employees or any of the district's powers, duties, privileges, immunities, rights, liabilities and disabilities, the facilities or any project of the district, or any property of the district;

(f) To enter into contracts and agreements, including but not limited to contracts with the federal government, the state, and any other public body;

(g) To trade, exchange, purchase, condemn, and otherwise acquire, operate, maintain, and dispose of real property and personal property, including interests therein, either within or without or both within and without the territorial limits of the district.