{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-82-82-1324.10","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 82, § 82-1324.10","heading":"Powers of district","body":"A. Every district incorporated hereunder shall have perpetual\n\nexistence, subject to dissolution as provided by the Rural Water,\n\nSewer, Gas and Solid Waste Management Districts Act, and shall have\n\npower 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 by purchase, lease, gift, or in any other manner,\n\nand to maintain, use, and operate any and all property of any kind,\n\nreal, personal, or mixed, or any interest therein; and to acquire\n\nand own water rights or rights to natural gas under the laws of this\n\nstate, and to construct, erect, purchase, lease as lessee and in any\n\nmanner acquire, own, hold, maintain, operate, sell, dispose of,\n\nlease as lessor, exchange and mortgage plants, buildings, works,\n\nmachinery, supplies, equipment, apparatus, facilities, property\n\nrights and transportation and distribution lines, facilities,\n\nequipment or systems necessary to transport, distribute, sell,\n\nfurnish and dispose of water or gas, and either subsequent to, or in\n\nconnection with, the installation of water distribution, sewage\n\nfacilities, gas distribution facilities or solid waste management\n\nsystem, to construct, operate and maintain sewage disposal\n\nfacilities or solid waste management system to serve the users of\n\nthe district. Provided, all projects of the district shall be self-\n\nliquidating, and the costs of construction shall be payable solely\n\nfrom the income, revenues, and properties of the district, and all\n\nproperty, assets and revenues of the district shall constitute a\n\nspecial fund for the accomplishment of the purposes and objectives\n\nof the Rural Water, Sewer, Gas and Solid Waste Management Districts\n\nAct;\n\n4. Borrow money and otherwise contract indebtedness for the\n\npurposes set forth in this act, and, without limitation of the\n\ngenerality of the foregoing, to borrow money and accept grants from\n\nthe United States of America, or from any corporation or agency\n\ncreated or designated by the United States of America, and, in\n\nconnection with such loan or grant, to enter into such agreements as\n\nthe United States of America or such corporation or agency may\n\nrequire; and to issue its notes or obligations therefor, and to\n\nsecure the payment thereof by mortgage, pledge or deed of trust on\n\nall or any property, assets, franchises, rights, privileges,\n\nlicenses, rights-of-way, easements, revenues, or income of the said\n\ndistrict;\n\n5. Make bylaws for the management and regulation of its\n\naffairs;\n\n6. Appoint officers, agents and employees, to prescribe their\n\nduties and to fix their compensation; and to employ such common and\n\nskilled labor and professional and other services as may be\n\nnecessary to the proper performance of such work or improvement as\n\nis proposed to be done within any such district, and the maintenance\n\nthereof;\n\n7. Sell or otherwise dispose of any property of any kind, real,\n\npersonal, or mixed, or any interest therein, which shall not be\n\nnecessary to the carrying on of the business of the district;\n\n8. In connection with the acquisition, construction,\n\nimprovement, operation or maintenance of its transportation, and\n\ndistribution lines, system, equipment, facilities or apparatus, use\n\nany street, road, alley or highway which is owned or held by the\n\nstate, or any political subdivision. The location of sewer, gas or\n\nwater lines or other facilities connected with the water, sewer, gas\n\nor solid waste management district in such streets, roads, alleys or\n\nhighways, must be concurred in by the governing or appropriate\n\nbodies of the cities, counties or state, which have jurisdiction\n\nover said property. The district plans for locating lines shall\n\ncomply with the written specifications for location of lines and\n\nfacilities as set forth by the governing body of the county for\ngas\n\nor solid waste management district in such streets, roads, alleys or\n\nhighways, must be concurred in by the governing or appropriate\n\nbodies of the cities, counties or state, which have jurisdiction\n\nover said property. The district plans for locating lines shall\n\ncomply with the written specifications for location of lines and\n\nfacilities as set forth by the governing body of the county for\n\nproperty within their jurisdiction. If the governing body of the\n\ncounty does not have written specifications for location of lines\n\nand facilities for property within their jurisdiction, they shall\n\nconcur with the district plans or provide the district with an\n\nalternative plan. The governing body of any such city, county or\n\nstate agency may require that if a district attaches a gas line to\n\nany bridge, underpass or overpass, that such district furnish\n\nliability insurance in an amount to be determined by the governing\n\nbody, covering damage which may be occasioned to such bridge,\n\nunderpass or overpass, as a result of fire or explosion originating\n\nfrom said gas line. Provided that the relocation or rearrangement\n\nof any public utility's or common carrier's facilities of service\n\nrequired to be made to permit or accommodate installation or\n\nmaintenance of a district's facilities on, across or under any such\n\npublicly owned or held real property or interest therein shall be\n\nperformed at the sole cost of the district;\n\n9. Make any and all contracts necessary or convenient for the\n\nexercise of the powers of the district;\n\n10. Fix, regulate and collect rates, fees, rents or other\n\ncharges for water, gas and any other facilities, supplies, equipment\n\nor services furnished by the district. Said rates shall be just,\n\nreasonable and nondiscriminatory;\n\n11. 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 purposes for which the district is\n\ncreated;\n\n12. Buy from or sell water or gas to any municipality, or to\n\nanother district created under this act, or to any other legal\n\nentity engaged in the distribution and storage of water or gas,\n\nprovided quantities of water sold do not exceed any vested right of\n\nappropriation granted by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board;\n\n13. Enter into contracts with the United States of America, or\n\nany agency thereof, or the state, or any political subdivision or\n\nagency thereof, for the construction, operation and maintenance of\n\nstructures needed to provide water storage to meet present and\n\nfuture anticipated needs and demands of the district;\n\n14. Enter into contracts jointly with any other district,\n\nmunicipality, city or town, the state, the United States of America,\n\nor any governmental agency, for the purpose of purchasing water,\n\nconstructing, acquiring, operating water facilities or purchasing or\n\nleasing reservoir space;\n\n15. Enter into contracts for fire protection and to construct,\n\nenlarge, extend or otherwise improve community facilities providing\n\nessential services to rural residents, including, but not limited\n\nto, fire protection, ambulance service, community centers and\n\noutdoor recreational facilities; and\n\n16. Have and exercise the right of eminent domain in the same\n\nmanner and according to the procedures provided for in Sections 51\n\nthrough 65 of Title 66 of the Oklahoma Statutes, provided, that the\n\nuse of said eminent domain provisions, shall be restricted to the\n\npurpose of developing and providing rural gas distribution, water\n\nworks and sewage disposal facilities. Provided, however, no\n\npersonal or real property, easement or right-of-way of any utility\n\nmay be acquired by eminent domain.\n\nB. No district organized hereunder shall sell or export water\n\nor gas pursuant to the Rural Water, Sewer, Gas and Solid Waste\nand providing rural gas distribution, water\n\nworks and sewage disposal facilities. Provided, however, no\n\npersonal or real property, easement or right-of-way of any utility\n\nmay be acquired by eminent domain.\n\nB. No district organized hereunder shall sell or export water\n\nor gas pursuant to the Rural Water, Sewer, Gas and Solid Waste\n\nManagement Districts Act outside of the state without consent of the\n\nLegislature.\n\nC. Appropriative rights to water held by the district shall not\n\nbe alienated or encumbered apart from the alienation or encumbrance\n\nof the facilities of the district.\n\nD. The board of directors shall, on or before July 1 of each\n\nyear, file with the county clerk of each county in which any part of\n\nsaid district is located, an annual report for the preceding\n\ncalendar year. Such report shall list all monies collected and all\n\nmonies disbursed during said calendar year. Said report shall also\n\nspecify any and all indebtedness outstanding at the end of the\n\ncalendar year.","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":"4c32b7318298c611f72caf4b6fdaf2b2ed6f207d2b8e1e7cc489401adc389b48","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-82-82-1324.1","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-82-82-1324.11"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}