Article 1. Cooperation Under Irrigation District Federal Cooperation Law of California Water Code >> Division 12. >> Part 5. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 1.

Districts may cooperate and contract with the United States, under the Federal Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902, and all acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto or any other act of Congress heretofore or hereafter enacted permitting cooperation.

The cooperation and contract may be for any or all of the following purposes:
  (a) Acquisition, extension, or operation of works for irrigation or drainage or flood control, or the development of electric or other power.
  (b) A water supply.
  (c) Assumption as principal or guarantor of indebtedness to the United States.

Districts may carry out and perform the terms of any contract so made.

To carry out the preceding sections of this article a district has all powers, rights, and privileges possessed by irrigation districts and may exercise those powers, rights, and privileges in the same manner as irrigation districts as provided in the Irrigation District Federal Cooperation Law.

If any provision of the Irrigation District Federal Cooperation Law is held unconstitutional, that decision shall not affect the validity of the adoption by reference in this article of the remaining portions of that law.

In any contract made between a county water district and the United States pursuant to this article, the land which may be charged with any taxes or assessments under the contract shall be designated and described.

The contract shall not include any land which is not susceptible of service with water from the water works or system contemplated in the contract.

The proceedings for voting at an election upon a proposal to contract with the United States pursuant to this article shall be had insofar as applicable in the manner provided in Articles 1, 2, and 3 of Chapter 2 of Part 6 of this division.

Notwithstanding any provision of the Irrigation District Federal Cooperation Law, or any provision of this division or other law, when any district has contracted with the United States pursuant to this article or any other law for the purposes set forth in Section 31151, if the revenues of the district from water rates are, or in the judgment of the board are likely to be, inadequate to pay all charges payable to the United States or otherwise under the contract, then any tax or assessment levied for the payment of any of those charges in any manner provided by law shall be levied only upon land, exclusive of improvements and personal property, in the portion of the district to be served with water under the contract as therein described or thereunder modified.

Every county water district which executes a contract with the United States for the purposes set forth in Section 31151 shall, within the meaning of the act of Congress approved August 11, 1916, entitled "An act to promote the reclamation of arid lands" and of the act of Congress approved May 15, 1922, entitled "An act to provide for the application of the reclamation law to irrigation districts," be deemed to be an irrigation district organized and created under the irrigation district laws of this State.

Public land of the United States within any such county water district is subject to assessment and taxation for all purposes of such district to the extent provided in said acts of Congress upon full compliance therewith by the county water district.

Whenever the Government of the United States has in conjunction with a district contributed to the cost of building a dam creating a lake and the water impounded by the dam is to be used for domestic, irrigation, and recreational purposes, the district may do either of the following:
  (a) Establish and operate recreational facilities and appliances upon the water of the lake and the land adjacent thereto.
  (b) Lease the water and land to others for those purposes.

The operation of all facilities and appliances permitted by Section 31161 shall be in accordance with rules and regulations applicable thereto adopted by the board subject to the provisions of Section 531 of the Fish and Game Code.