Article 5. Water System of California Government Code >> Division 2. >> Title 3. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 7. >> Article 5.

The board of supervisors may acquire, develop, distribute, and sell water to the county and its inhabitants for domestic, irrigation, agricultural, and other beneficial uses.

For purposes of this article the board may acquire water rights by purchase or condemnation and may file applications for the appropriation of unappropriated waters.

The board may acquire, construct, repair, and manage a water system, pumps, aqueducts, reservoirs, and all other works necessary or proper for supplying water for the use of the county and its inhabitants.

For the purposes of this article, the county may incur a bonded indebtedness, upon the conditions, in the manner, and in accordance with the procedure prescribed by Article 1 of Chapter 6 of Division 3 of this title.

Any tax for the purposes of this article may be levied only if a proposal therefor, specifying the purpose, the rate of tax, and the number of years for which the tax is to be levied, is submitted to the qualified electors of the county, at a general or special election, and is approved by a majority of the electors voting thereon. No such tax may be levied if it operates to increase the maximum rate of taxation otherwise prescribed for the county unless the proposal therefor is approved by two-thirds of the electors voting thereon. Any such proposal for a tax levy shall be submitted to the electors of the county, and the election thereon held, in conformity, as nearly as may be practicable, with the provisions of law applicable to the submission to the electors of a proposition for the issuance of bonds of the county and the conduct of an election thereon.

When the acquisition, improvement, development or construction of a water supply system is completed, and the board of supervisors so finds and determines, the management and control of that water system vests in the board of supervisors.

In managing and controlling a water system, the board of supervisors has authority, upon such terms and conditions as the board shall prescribe, to establish the rate or rates for the use of water furnished or provided by the county. All revenues derived from such charge, are available solely for payment of the cost of maintaining the water system and the payment of principal and interest of bonds as they become due. The board may from time to time, out of any surplus of such revenues, transfer to the appropriate funds of the county such sums as in its judgment may be available for payment of principal and interest of county bonds issued pursuant to the provisions of this article.

In any year a tax may be levied for the maintenance of the water system in the county at a rate calculated to raise a sum of money equal to the amount of the excess, if any, of the amount of the estimated cost of such maintenance over the estimated amount of revenues derived that are or will become available to defray such cost. The rate of such a tax shall not in any year exceed fifteen cents ($0.15) per one hundred dollars ($100) of the assessed valuation of all taxable property within the county, unless a proposal for a specified higher rate for a particular year is submitted to the qualified electors of the county at a general or special election and is approved by a majority of the electors voting thereon.

No tax for the purposes of this article may be levied for acquisition, improvement, development, construction, maintenance or operation upon property within incorporated cities maintaining a municipal water system until approved by a vote of the electors thereof as provided in Sections 25693, 25694 and 25697.

The board of supervisors may establish a committee or board to advise and make recommendations to the board of supervisors with respect to the water resources of the county. The members appointed to the committee or board so established shall receive no compensation but shall be reimbursed for their necessary and actual expenses incurred while traveling on behalf of the county either within or without the county.