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

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