(A) Within thirty days after the petition has been filed with the board of commissioners of the soil and water conservation district, the board shall cause due notice to be given of a public hearing on the desirability and necessity in the interest of the public health, safety, and welfare of the creation of the watershed conservation district and the administrative practicability and feasibility of the operation of the watershed conservation district. All interested parties may attend the hearing and be heard. If it appears at the hearing that other lands must be included in the petition or that land included in the petition must be excluded, the board of commissioners may permit the inclusion or exclusion if the land area involved still meets the requirements of Section 48-11-30.

(B) If it appears upon the hearing that it may be desirable to include within the proposed watershed conservation district territory outside of the area within which due notice of the hearing has been given, the hearing must be adjourned and, within thirty days, due notice of a further hearing must be given throughout the entire area considered for inclusion in the proposed watershed conservation district, and the further hearing must be held. Within sixty days after final hearing the board of commissioners shall determine whether the proposed watershed conservation district is needed. If the commissioners determine, upon the facts presented at the hearing and upon other available information, that there is need in the interest of the public health, safety, and welfare for a watershed conservation district to function in the territory considered at the hearing and that the operation of the watershed conservation district is administratively practicable and feasible, they shall record in their minutes the determination and shall submit the determination in writing to the clerks of court of the applicable counties. The determination shall define the boundaries of the proposed watershed conservation district.

(C) If the board of commissioners determine after the hearing that there is no need for a watershed conservation district to function in the territory considered at the hearing, or that the operation of the watershed conservation district is not administratively practicable or feasible, the board shall record in its minutes the determination and shall deny the petition. A new petition must not be filed until two years after the date of determination of denial of the previous petition.

HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 63-176; 1967 (55) 1158; 1992 Act No. 408, Section 1.