{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-82-82-541","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 82, § 82-541","heading":"Conservancy Districts - Master Conservancy Districts -","body":"Purpose - Board of Directors.\n\nA. There is hereby authorized the formation of conservancy\n\ndistricts within this state. Each such district shall be designated\n\nas a \"conservancy district\" or \"master conservancy district\". Such\n\ndistricts shall not be political corporations or subdivisions of the\n\nstate. All of the provisions of this chapter shall apply to all\n\nsuch districts except insofar as special provisions shall be made\n\nherein relating to master conservancy districts only. All\n\nprovisions of this chapter prescribing the contents of pleadings or\n\ninstruments and using the term \"conservancy district\" may be\n\nmodified to use the term \"master conservancy district\", when the\n\nsame shall be applicable. Provided that in the event a master\n\nconservancy district is organized, the obligation including the area\n\nof a conservancy district shall become the obligation of the master\n\nconservancy district to the extent such obligations relate to water\n\nresources development and control.\n\nB. 1. The district court of any judicial district in this\n\nstate, or any judge thereof when said court is in vacation, is\n\nvested with jurisdiction, power and authority, when the conditions\n\nstated in Section 542 of this title are found to exist, to establish\n\nconservancy districts, which may be entirely within, or partly\n\nwithin and partly without, the judicial district in which said court\n\nis located, for all or any of these purposes:\n\na. of preventing floods,\n\nb. of regulating stream channels by changing, widening\n\nand deepening same,\n\nc. of reclaiming or of filling wet and overflowed land,\n\nd. of providing for irrigation where it may be needed,\n\ne. of regulating the flow of streams,\n\nf. of diverting or in whole or in part eliminating\n\nwatercourses, or part of the flowage thereof, or\n\ng. of developing and providing water for domestic,\n\nindustrial and agricultural requirements, and to\n\npersons within the territory of the district. This\n\nalso may include the construction, operation and\n\nmaintenance of storage, distribution, treatment,\n\nsupply and other works, installation, improvements and\n\nfacilities necessary or incidental thereto. Provided,\n\nthat no conservancy district shall construct, operate\n\nor maintain distribution facilities within the limits\n\nof any municipal corporation.\n\n2. Incident to any purpose provided in this subsection, and to\n\nfurther enable their accomplishment, a master conservancy district\n\nmay:\n\na. straighten, widen, deepen, divert or change the course\n\nor terminus of any natural or artificial watercourse,\n\nb. build or rebuild reservoirs, canals, levees, walls,\n\nembankments, bridges, or dams,\n\nc. maintain, operate and repair any of the construction\n\nherein named, and\n\nd. do all other things necessary for the fulfillment of\n\nthe purposes of this chapter.\n\nC. Master conservancy districts may be created to include lands\n\nconstituting all or any part of the area of one or more conservancy\n\nand/or irrigation districts and/or municipal corporations and/or\n\nlands not included in any such area or areas. Provided, however,\n\nthat no conservancy district nor portion thereof shall be\n\nincorporated into a master conservancy district without the consent\n\nof at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the owners of land and by\n\nowners of at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the land area embraced\n\nin the conservancy district or that portion thereof to be\n\nincorporated into a master conservancy district. In addition to any\n\nor all of the purposes enumerated in subsection B of this section,\n\nmaster conservancy districts may be created for any or all of the\n\nfollowing purposes:\n\n1. To conduct preliminary surveys and to develop a plan for the\n\ncomprehensive control, regulation and/or use of water from any\n\ndesignated stream, watercourse or watercourse system and/or its\n\nbasin;\n\n2. To coordinate the operations, works and facilities of two or\ns enumerated in subsection B of this section,\n\nmaster conservancy districts may be created for any or all of the\n\nfollowing purposes:\n\n1. To conduct preliminary surveys and to develop a plan for the\n\ncomprehensive control, regulation and/or use of water from any\n\ndesignated stream, watercourse or watercourse system and/or its\n\nbasin;\n\n2. To coordinate the operations, works and facilities of two or\n\nmore conservancy districts with each other and with improvements,\n\nworks, and facilities of the master conservancy district;\n\n3. To enable the acquisition, construction and maintenance of\n\nimprovements and facilities for common benefit and/or use of\n\nconstituent areas;\n\n4. To permit two or more municipal corporations and/or\n\nconservancy districts to pool their resources to effect any or all\n\nof the foregoing; and\n\n5. To enter into contracts with municipal corporations, persons\n\nand public agencies for the furnishing to them of water, subject,\n\nhowever, to the proviso in subparagraph g of paragraph 1 of\n\nsubsection B of this section.\n\nD. 1. Immediately following organization of a master\n\nconservancy district, the first board of directors shall be\n\nappointed by the district judge and shall consist of such number of\n\npersons as the district judge shall designate to provide equitable\n\nrepresentation for the component areas and/or for users contracting\n\nfor a substantial service from the district, and said directors\n\nshall serve until their successors have been selected and qualified.\n\nAt the first meeting the directors shall elect a president, vice-\n\npresident, secretary and treasurer from their number, and shall\n\nadopt bylaws for the governing of the business of the district,\n\nsubject to approval by the district judge, and attend to such other\n\nbusiness as may come before said board. The president shall be the\n\nchief executive officer of the district, shall preside at the\n\nmeetings of the board and shall perform all other functions which\n\nare necessary and proper for carrying out the provisions of this\n\nact, subject to approval of the board. The vice-president shall act\n\nas president whenever the president is absent, or otherwise\n\nincapacitated, or fails to act. The secretary shall be custodian of\n\nthe district seal, attest to the signature of the president when law\n\nrequires that it be attested to and shall be charged with the duty\n\nof keeping accurate and detailed minutes of meetings of the board.\n\nThe treasurer shall be custodian of all monies, funds and credits of\n\nthe district and shall keep the books and records of the district in\n\nproper form.\n\n2. All officers and employees handling funds of a master\n\nconservancy district shall be bonded in a penal sum of not less than\n\nTwenty-five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.00), such bond to be a\n\ncorporate surety bond approved by the judge of the district court\n\nestablishing the district, for the faithful performance of their\n\nduties. The bond premiums shall be paid by the district and\n\nbenefits accrue to said district.\n\n3. All officers and employees shall execute the customary oath\n\nof office, which shall be filed with the secretary of the district.\n\n4. Within two (2) years after the first board of directors has\n\nbeen appointed by the district judge, the district judge shall\n\nappoint members to the board as hereinafter provided and fix the\n\ntotal number of such directors for equitable representation.\n\nProvided, however, each component area, including municipal\n\ncorporations, cities, towns, irrigation districts, and users\n\ncontracting for a substantial service from the district may elect\n\ntheir respective representation to the board of directors.\n\n5. Each component area, including municipal corporations,\n\ncities, towns, irrigation districts, and users contracting for a\n\nsubstantial service from the district shall be entitled to\ntion districts, and users\n\ncontracting for a substantial service from the district may elect\n\ntheir respective representation to the board of directors.\n\n5. Each component area, including municipal corporations,\n\ncities, towns, irrigation districts, and users contracting for a\n\nsubstantial service from the district shall be entitled to\n\nrepresentation on the board of directors, in accordance with the\n\nratio which their individual, actual and contingent water storage\n\nfor which it has contractual obligations to the master conservancy\n\ndistrict bears to the total water storage for which there are\n\ncontractual obligations with said district. In fixing the number of\n\ndirectors to represent a master conservancy district, each component\n\narea or user contracting for a substantial service from the district\n\nshall be entitled to at least one director, but no such area or user\n\nshall be entitled to more than three directors. The total number of\n\ndirectors and the representation of each such area or user may be\n\nchanged by the district judge whenever a reallocation is considered\n\nby said judge to be necessary for providing proper representation.\n\nProvided, however, that if a master conservancy district has been\n\norganized on or before January 5, 1957, under the provisions of this\n\ntitle, which has as a part of its purpose the inclusion of a\n\nproposed irrigation district or districts, each such proposed\n\ndistrict shall be entitled to one representative on the board of\n\ndirectors of the master conservancy district for a period of five\n\n(5) years from the effective date of this act; provided, however,\n\nthat if the proposed irrigation district or districts, as\n\nhereinabove described, are not legally organized and have not\n\nexecuted a contract for the repayment of the irrigation costs with\n\nthe master conservancy district within the aforementioned five-year\n\nperiod, then said offices of directors representing the irrigation\n\ninterests shall be discontinued and shall have no further\n\nrepresentation on said board of directors; provided, further, that\n\nif the proposed irrigation districts are organized and have\n\ncontracted with a master conservancy district under the laws of this\n\nstate, then said directors shall be elected or selected as provided\n\nin this section pertaining to the second board of directors.\n\nThe governing body of each such area or user such as a municipal\n\ncorporation, city, town, irrigation district, conservation district,\n\nand/or other user may select or cause to be elected the person or\n\npersons to represent them on the board of directors of the master\n\nconservancy district and shall submit the name or names of those\n\nselected to the district judge who shall appoint said person or\n\npersons to membership on the board of directors. Only a freeholder\n\nwho is a qualified elector of this state as provided by law and\n\nresiding within any county in which the district or any part thereof\n\nis located shall be eligible to be a member of the board of\n\ndirectors. A person who is a nonelected employee of a municipality\n\nthat is a component area or a user of a master conservancy district\n\nshall not be eligible to be a member of the board of directors of\n\nthat district. Any person serving on a board of directors of a\n\nmaster conservancy district as of the effective date of this act who\n\nis not in compliance with the provisions of this paragraph shall be\n\nallowed to serve the remainder of his or her term of office and\n\nshall be eligible for reappointment or re-election to the board of\n\ndirectors.\n\n6. Vacancies occurring of unexpired terms of office on the\n\nboard of directors shall be filled through appointment by the\n\ndistrict judge upon the recommendations of the component area or\n\nuser authorized to make the original selection. The district judge\n\nshall determine whether persons who have been recommended for\nshall be eligible for reappointment or re-election to the board of\n\ndirectors.\n\n6. Vacancies occurring of unexpired terms of office on the\n\nboard of directors shall be filled through appointment by the\n\ndistrict judge upon the recommendations of the component area or\n\nuser authorized to make the original selection. The district judge\n\nshall determine whether persons who have been recommended for\n\nappointment hereunder are qualified as provided herein.\n\n7. The board of directors first appointed, and those\n\nsubsequently appointed, or elected, are hereby authorized and\n\nempowered to appoint a manager and such additional personnel as may\n\nbe necessary and proper for conducting the business of said\n\ndistrict; provided, however, that no employee of the district may be\n\na member of the board.\n\n8. Upon expiration of the two-year term of office of directors\n\nfirst appointed by the district judge, the next succeeding board of\n\ndirectors shall be elected or appointed so that as nearly as\n\npossible one-half (1/2) of their number shall serve a term of two\n\n(2) years and the remainder for a term of four (4) years. The board\n\nof directors shall meet and determine their respective term of\n\noffice by lot. Thereafter, at the expiration of their respective\n\nterm of office, directors shall be elected or appointed for a term\n\nof four (4) years.\n\n9. On the first Wednesday following each biennial election or\n\nappointment of the members of the board of directors by the district\n\njudge, as the case may be, they shall meet and organize as a board\n\nand elect officers for service as provided above for the first\n\nboard.\n\n10. The board of directors shall perform official actions by\n\nresolution and a majority of their number shall constitute a quorum\n\nfor the transaction of any and all business of the district. All\n\nofficial actions including final passage and enactment of all\n\nresolutions must be approved by a majority of the board of directors\n\npresent, a quorum being present, at a regular or special meeting.\n\n11. The board of directors shall hold regular meetings once a\n\nmonth, the date thereof to be established in the district's bylaws\n\nor by resolution. The president or any three members may call such\n\nspecial meetings as may be necessary in the administration of the\n\ndistrict's business, provided that at least five (5) days prior to\n\nthe meeting date the secretary shall have mailed notice thereof to\n\nthe address which each member shall file with the secretary.\n\nNotices of special meetings may be waived in writing by any\n\ndirector.\n\n12. Each director shall be reimbursed for all necessary and\n\nreasonable expenses incurred in the performance of his or her duties\n\npursuant to law, as provided for in the State Travel Reimbursement\n\nAct. In addition to any reimbursement for necessary and reasonable\n\nexpenses received by the director pursuant to this paragraph, each\n\ndirector shall be entitled to receive a per diem not to exceed One\n\nHundred Dollars ($100.00) per meeting for not more than two meetings\n\na month.","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":"f35429e3702f51feea9a889d9f96de254a35cf80800bc624e52f11ee161c6e56","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-82-82-532","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-82-82-541.1"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}