{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-82-82-1272","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 82, § 82-1272","heading":"Powers of district","body":"Each district shall have power to:\n\n1. Sue and be sued, complain and defend, in its corporate name;\n\n2. Adopt a seal which may be altered at pleasure, and to use\n\nit, or a facsimile thereof, as required by law;\n\n3. Acquire water rights, construct, erect, purchase, lease as\n\nlessee and in any manner acquire, own, hold, maintain, improve,\n\noperate, sell, dispose of, lease as lessor, exchange and mortgage\n\nplants, buildings, works, machinery, supplies, equipment, apparatus,\n\nfacilities, property rights and transportation and distribution\n\nlines, facilities, equipment or systems necessary to transport,\n\ndistribute, sell, furnish, treat, store and dispose of water or\n\nsewage. All plans for facilities must be submitted to and approved\n\nby the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and the State Department of\n\nHealth. The disposal of any water outside the State of Oklahoma\n\nshall not be permitted without the consent of the Legislature;\n\n4. Borrow money and otherwise contract indebtedness, issue or\n\nexecute its obligations therefore, including, without limitation,\n\nbond anticipation notes and refunding bonds and secure the payment\n\nthereof by mortgage, pledge or deed of trust of all or any of its\n\nproperty, assets, franchises, rights, privileges, licenses, rights-\n\nof-way, easements, revenues or income, only upon the affirmative\n\nvote of at least three-fourths (3/4) of all the members of the board\n\nas constituted;\n\n5. Have and exercise the right of eminent domain for the\n\npurpose of acquiring right-of-way and other properties necessary in\n\nthe construction or operation of its property and business and in\n\nthe manner now provided by the condemnation laws of this state for\n\nacquiring private property for public use. No district shall have\n\nthe right to exercise the power of eminent domain for the purpose of\n\nacquiring water rights or mineral interests;\n\n6. Accept gifts, loans, or grants of money, services,\n\nfranchises, rights, privileges, licenses, rights-of-way, easements\n\nor other property, real or personal, or provisions for nonpayment as\n\nmay be authorized oravailable to the district pursuant to federal,\n\nstate or local regulations, or programs;\n\n7. Make any and all contracts necessary or convenient for the\n\nexercise of the powers of the district on such terms and for such\n\nperiod of time as its Board of Directors shall determine;\n\n8. Fix, regulate and collect rates, fees, rents or other\n\ncharges for water and any other facilities, supplies, equipment or\n\nservices furnished by the district. The rates shall be just,\n\nreasonable and nondiscriminatory. The value of water rights held by\n\nthe district shall not be considered in the determination of rates;\n\n9. Conduct its affairs within this state subject to the\n\nprovisions of this act;\n\n10. Conduct its business so that appropriated rights to water\n\nheld by the district shall not be alienated or encumbered apart from\n\nthe alienation or encumbrance of the facilities of the district;\n\n11. Invest funds in the same manner as generally authorized for\n\ncounties and municipalities and for the purpose of defraying\n\ninterest expenses related to facility construction debt service;\n\n12. Prepay principal payments when permitted without penalty\n\nand as appropriate to reduction of interest or expenses;\n\n13. Conduct planning in accordance with the concepts and\n\nprinciples of any applicable, adopted state plans for current and\n\nfuture water and sewage needs, investigate the desirability of and\n\nnecessity for additional sources and supplies of water, and make\n\nstudies, surveys and estimates as may be necessary to determine the\n\nfeasibility and cost of any water or sewage facilities;\n\n14. Individually or jointly with other persons or public\n\nagencies acquire, own, hire, use, operate, lease as lessor or\n\nlessee, and dispose of personal property and real property and any\n\ninterest therein, including projects existing, proposed or under\nof water, and make\n\nstudies, surveys and estimates as may be necessary to determine the\n\nfeasibility and cost of any water or sewage facilities;\n\n14. Individually or jointly with other persons or public\n\nagencies acquire, own, hire, use, operate, lease as lessor or\n\nlessee, and dispose of personal property and real property and any\n\ninterest therein, including projects existing, proposed or under\n\nconstruction, and make improvements thereon;\n\n15. Determine the locations and character of, and all other\n\nmatters in connection with, any and all projects or activities it is\n\nauthorized to acquire, hold, establish, effectuate, operate or\n\ncontrol;\n\n16. Enter into contracts with persons or public agencies for\n\nthe sale, purchase or provision of all or any part of the water\n\nfacilities or sewage facilities, or any services or products derived\n\ntherefrom, in accordance with this act; and contract with any person\n\nor public agency for the planning, development, construction,\n\noperation, sale or lease as lessor or lessee of any water facility\n\nor sewage facility or any part thereof;\n\n17. Procure insurance against any losses in connection with its\n\nproperty, operations or assets in such amounts and from such sources\n\nas it deems desirable, or self-insure against such losses;\n\n18. Enter onto any private or public lands after notice to and\n\npermission of the owner thereof for the purpose of making surveys,\n\ninspections or other activities related to its powers under this\n\nact;\n\n19. Adopt regulations as it deems necessary, not inconsistent\n\nwith state law or the powers of any existing public agency to adopt\n\nor enforce regulations, to protect its water supplies and facilities\n\nand sewage facilities;\n\n20. Do and perform all acts and things, and to have and\n\nexercise any and all powers as may be necessary, convenient or\n\nappropriate to effectuate the purpose for which the district is\n\norganized, and exercise all other powers not inconsistent with the\n\nArticles of Association forming the district pursuant to the\n\nInterlocal Cooperation Act, the Constitution of the State of\n\nOklahoma or the United States Constitution which may be reasonably\n\nnecessary or appropriate or incidental to the exercise of any of the\n\npowers enumerated in this act.\n\nThe district may perform any act authorized by this act through,\n\nor by means of, its officers, agents or employees or by contract\n\nwith any person, including, without limitation, the employment of\n\nengineers, architects, attorneys, appraisers, financial advisers and\n\nsuch other consultants and employees as may be required in the\n\njudgment of the board of directors, and fix and pay their\n\ncompensation from funds available to the district therefore.\n\nNothing in this section shall authorize a district to take or\n\ndisturb properties or facilities belonging to any public utility,\n\npublic agency, individual citizen, business entity or common\n\ncarrier, which properties or facilities are required for the proper\n\nand convenient operation of such public utility, public agency or\n\ncommon carrier, unless provision is made for the restoration,\n\nrelocation or duplication of such properties or facilities elsewhere\n\nat the sole cost of the district.","path":["OK Code","Title 82"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os82.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"c31b1dfd5949367dd7da43592501fbabfbce1031ca0f43bb95dd190d6d6ce7e3","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-82-82-1268","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-82-82-1273"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}