Article 1. Powers Generally of California Water Code >> Division 12. >> Part 5. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 1.

County water districts shall be managed under the provisions of this division and may exercise the powers therein expressly granted or necessarily implied therefrom.

Each district has the power generally to perform all acts necessary to carry out fully the provisions of this division.

A district has perpetual succession.

A district may adopt a seal and alter it at pleasure.

A district may make contracts and employ labor to carry out the purposes of the district.

A district may have construction or other work performed by contract or may do the work under its own superintendence.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any district formed under this division may, by resolution of the board of the district spread on its minutes, change the name of the district. That changed name need not include the word "county." Certified copies of the resolution changing the name of the district shall be recorded in the office of the county recorder of every county, included in whole or in part, in the district and sent to the department.

The rates and charges to be collected by the district shall be so fixed as to yield an amount sufficient to do each of the following:
  (a) Pay the operating expenses of the district.
  (b) Provide for repairs and depreciation of works owned or operated by the district.
  (c) Pay the interest on any bonded debt.
  (d) So far as possible, provide a fund for the payment of the principal of the bonded debt as it becomes due. It is intended by this section to require the district to pay the interest and principal of its bonded debt from the revenues of the district, except that this requirement is not intended to apply to a bonded debt for sewage disposal purposes.

No district furnishing water for residential use to a tenant shall seek to recover any charges or penalties for the furnishing of water to or for the tenant's residential use from any subsequent tenant on account of nonpayment of charges by a previous tenant. The district may, however, require that service to subsequent tenants be furnished on the account of the landlord or property owner.

A district may provide for the pension of officers or employees and the creation of a special fund for the purpose of paying such pension and the accumulation of contributions to said fund from the revenues of the district, the wages of officers or employees, voluntary contributions, gifts, donations, or any source of revenue, not inconsistent with the general powers of the board, and may contract with any insurance corporation or any other insurance carrier for the establishment and maintenance of group insurance, a system of group annuities, and a pension service for such officers and employees, and may provide for the terms and conditions under which such pensions, group insurance, or group annuities shall be allowed, and for the time and extent of service of officers or employees before such pensions, group insurance, or group annuities shall be available to them.

In any district authorized to provide fire protection services, the district board is authorized to enforce the provisions of Sections 4291 to 4296, inclusive, of the Public Resources Code.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Chapter 5.5 (commencing with Section 1450) of Division 2 of the Streets and Highways Code, any district and any county may enter into a contract agreeing to pay and apportion between them the costs of locating, removing, repairing, or relocating any facilities owned or to be owned by either party on the roads or other property of the other in such proportion and upon such terms as the governing boards of the parties shall determine to be equitable. This section shall not supersede the provisions of Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 7030) of Division 4 of this code.

A district may disseminate information to the public concerning the rights, properties, and activities of the district.

If, on or after the effective date of this section, substantially all of a district water system is acquired by another public agency by any method other than a vote of the electorate of that district so authorizing, the following provisions shall apply:
  (a) All funds derived from the operation of the former district system shall be separately accounted for and used exclusively for the purposes of maintenance, operation, betterments, and bond debt service of the acquired system.
  (b) No funds derived from the former district system shall be used for any other such purpose until all debt of that former system has been paid in full or until a majority vote of the electorate of the area served by that former system has authorized such other expenditures.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Mammoth County Water District may operate a propane gas distribution service for residents of the district and may do any act necessary to furnish sufficient propane gas to residents of the district. The provisions of this section are necessary because of the great need for propane gas service within the area of the Mammoth County Water District. There is no other local governmental entity willing to provide such service to the people of the district. This problem is not common to all districts formed under this division. It is therefore hereby declared that a general law cannot be made applicable and that the enactment of this section as a special law is necessary for the solution of problems existing in the Mammoth County Water District.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Mammoth Community Water District may acquire property and construct, maintain, operate, sell, and lease facilities, including, but not limited to, wells, plants, and pipes for the distribution of heated water or steam, that are necessary to develop, extract, and distribute geothermal water resources in order to provide space heating for buildings and other facilities within the boundaries of the district.
  (b) The district may finance the acquisition of property and the construction of facilities under this section by utilizing the same financing methods that are available to the district under this division to finance water facilities.
  (c) The powers granted by other provisions of this division may be exercised by the district in connection with the authority granted to the district under this section.

Subject to the consent of the governing body of the county or city having jurisdiction over the highway or street, the Juniper-Riviera County Water District may open, widen, extend, straighten, surface, or otherwise improve and maintain, in whole or in part, that highway or street, as the case may be, in such district. This special provision is necessary because of special circumstances in the area served by the Juniper-Riviera County Water District. This area is located in a sparsely populated desert area, and the people of the county have an urgent and immediate need for improved and maintained roads within the boundaries of this county water district. The people of the county would be substantially benefited by having road improvement and maintenance provided by the existing district instead of by the formation of other and additional districts. It is, therefore, hereby declared that a general law cannot be made applicable and that this enactment is necessary for the solution of problems within the Juniper-Riviera County Water District.

The term "irrigation district" as used in Chapter 1046 of the Statutes of 1969 includes a county water district and the Orange County Water District.

The Sierra Lakes County Water District shall not exercise any of the powers and purposes set forth in Article 7 (commencing with Section 31120), Article 8 (commencing with Section 31130), and Article 9 (commencing with Section 31135).

(a) In order to enforce the provisions of any ordinance of the district, including an ordinance fixing charges for the furnishing of commodities or services, the district may correct any violation of an ordinance of the district. The district may also petition the superior court for the issuance of a preliminary or permanent injunction, or both, as may be appropriate, restraining any person from the continued violation of any ordinance of the district or for the issuance of an order stopping or disconnecting a service if the charges for that service are unpaid at the time specified in the ordinance.
  (b) The district may enter upon the private property of any person within the jurisdiction of the district in order to investigate possible violations of an ordinance of the district. The investigation shall be made with consent of the owner or tenant of the property or, if consent is refused, with a warrant duly issued pursuant to the procedures set forth in Title 13 (commencing with Section 1822.50) of Part 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure, except that, notwithstanding Section 1822.52 of the Code of Civil Procedure, the warrant shall be issued only upon probable cause.
  (c) The district shall notify the county or city building inspector, county health inspector, or other affected county or city employee or office, in writing, within a reasonable time if an actual violation of a district, city, or county ordinance is discovered during the investigation.