(1) The district shall be managed and controlled by a board of nine directors. The members of said board shall hold their offices for terms of three years and until their successors are appointed and qualified. Two members of such board shall be appointed from each of the counties of Conejos, Alamosa, Rio Grande, and Saguache, and one such member shall be appointed from Mineral county. At the time of his appointment each director shall be a resident and freeholder of the county from which he is appointed or, if only a part of the county is included within the boundaries of said district, a resident and freeholder of such included part. Each director shall be appointed by the board of county commissioners of the county in which such director resides. He may be a member of the board of county commissioners of such county. The members of said board shall annually select one of their number to act as president and one of their number to act as vice-president, each to hold office for one year or until his successor is duly selected.

(2) The office of a director shall become vacant when any director ceases to reside in the county from which the director was appointed or when declared vacant by a majority vote of all of the members of the board when any director has failed to attend two consecutive regular meetings without having been excused from attendance by the president. In the event a vacancy occurs in said office by reason of death, resignation, removal, or otherwise, it shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term by the board of county commissioners of the county from which said director originally came. Each director shall take an oath or affirmation in accordance with section 24-12-101.

(3) Upon expiration of the terms of the present directors of the district in September, 1970, their successors shall be appointed by the respective boards of county commissioners as provided in this section for the following terms of office: One director from each of the counties of Alamosa, Rio Grande, and Saguache, whose terms of office shall expire on the date of the regular quarterly meeting of said board to be held in April, 1971, or as soon thereafter as their respective successors are appointed and qualified; one director from each of the counties of Conejos, Mineral, and Rio Grande, whose terms of office shall expire on the date of the regular quarterly meeting to be held in April, 1972, or as soon thereafter as their respective successors are appointed and qualified; and one director from each of the counties of Alamosa, Saguache, and Conejos, whose terms of office shall expire on the date of the regular quarterly meeting to be held in April, 1973, or as soon thereafter as their respective successors are appointed and qualified. Thereafter, each director shall be appointed for a term of three years, and his term shall expire on the date of the regular quarterly meeting to be held in April of the year that commences during the third year of his term, or as soon thereafter as his successor is duly appointed and qualified. For the purpose of determining such expiration date, the term of such director shall be taken as having commenced on the date of the first regular April quarterly meeting at which the term of his predecessor would have expired had he then been duly appointed and qualified.