§168-2 Powers. In addition to any other powers conferred upon the board of agriculture, the board shall have the powers hereinafter set forth. The board shall have the power to make preliminary surveys and engineering studies, and to construct irrigation and water utilization projects, designed to serve and supply the owners and occupants of lands, and to manage, control, operate, and maintain the projects in accordance with this chapter. If, in the board's reasonable discretion, existing civil service staff is inadequate to service the projects or the project facilities, the board shall also have the power to contract for services with the private sector for operation or maintenance of project facilities with any qualified person. It shall also have the power to contract with domestic water users including the counties. It shall further have the power to contract with the government of the United States or any bureau or agency thereof with regard to the construction or the financing of a system.

The board shall have power to fix, charge, and collect reasonable water rates for service from the water system to defray the cost of operation, maintenance, and replacements of the system. It shall also have the power to acquire by eminent domain, water and water sources either above or underground watersheds, reservoir sites, rights-of-way over lands and property for paths, trails, roads, and landing sites, ditches, tunnels, flumes, reservoirs, and pipelines necessary or proper for the construction and maintenance of a system for conveying, distributing, and transmitting water for irrigation and domestic use and for such other purposes as may properly fall within the scope of its activities in creating, managing, controlling, operating, and maintaining an irrigation and water utilization system. The power of eminent domain shall be exercised in the manner and under the procedure provided by law. [L 1987, c 306, pt of §2; am L 1998, c 289, §1]