7-13-2218. District powers related to water and sewer projects. Any district incorporated as provided in this part may:
     (1) construct, purchase, lease, or otherwise acquire and operate and maintain water rights, waterworks, sanitary sewerworks, storm sewerworks, canals, conduits, reservoirs, lands, and rights useful or necessary to store, conserve, supply, produce, convey, or drain water or sewage for purposes beneficial to the district. Beneficial purposes include but are not limited to flood prevention, flood control, irrigation, drainage, municipal and industrial water supplies, domestic water supplies, wildlife, recreation, pollution abatement, livestock water supply, and other similar purposes.
     (2) if the incorporators of the district are members of a private, nonprofit water association that was formed under the laws of this state, acquire by eminent domain from that water association any type of property referred to in this section;
     (3) store water for the benefit of the district; conserve water for future use; appropriate, acquire, and conserve water and water rights for the purposes of the district; commence, maintain, intervene in, and compromise, in the name of the district, and assume the costs of any action or proceeding involving or affecting the ownership or use of waters, water rights, or sewer rights within the district used or useful for any purpose of the district or a benefit to any land situated in the district;
     (4) commence, maintain, intervene in, defend, and compromise actions and proceedings to prevent interference with or diminution of the natural flow of any stream or natural subterranean supply of waters used or useful for any purpose of the district or a common benefit to the lands within the district or its inhabitants;
     (5) commence, maintain, and defend actions and proceedings to prevent any interference with the waters or rights referred to in this section as may endanger the inhabitants or lands of the district;
     (6) lease from any person, firm, or public or private corporation, with the privilege of purchase or otherwise, existing water rights, waterworks, sewerworks, canals, or reservoir systems; and carry on and maintain them;
     (7) sell water or the use of water for household or domestic or other similar purposes or sell sewer service and, whenever there is a surplus of water or sewerworks capacity, sell or otherwise dispose of the water or sewerworks capacity to municipalities or towns or to consumers located within or outside the boundaries of the district;
     (8) retain the services of architects and engineers for designing, preparing a feasibility study for, and drawing plans and specifications of a water or sewer system for the district, with the cost of these services apportioned and assigned against properties in the district; and
     (9) establish, by ordinance or resolution, rules and regulations for the operation, maintenance, use, and availability of any of its systems or improvements, including but not limited to connection procedures, service termination, and payment of rates and charges, including penalties and interest charges for delinquent accounts.

     History: En. Sec. 14, Ch. 242, L. 1957; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 263, L. 1967; R.C.M. 1947, 16-4514(5) thru (7); amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 394, L. 1989; amd. Sec. 11, Ch. 645, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 518, L. 1995.