(a) The Department shall:
(1) Formulate policies and general programs to be carried out by the Department and by soil and water conservation districts for the prevention of erosion, floodwater and sediment damages and for the conservation, protection, development and utilization of the State’s soil and water resources, including the impoundment and disposal of water, and removal of sediment from waterways, lakes, ponds or other bodies of water;
(2) Exercise overall responsibility for administration and direction of the programs of the districts;
(3) Advise and assist any district in developing and carrying out its program for the prevention of erosion, floodwater and sediment damages, and the conservation, protection, development and utilization of soil and water resources, including the impoundment and disposal of water, and removal of sediment from waterways, lakes, ponds or other bodies of water;
(4) Cooperate with and give such other assistance, financial and otherwise, as the Department may judge to be useful to any district in the exercise of its powers and performance of its duties, including the entering into of such agreements as may be appropriate with such district, with landowners, and with other state, federal, or local agencies, subject to such conditions as the Department deems necessary to advance the purposes of this chapter;
(5) Receive and allocate or otherwise expend any funds appropriated by the General Assembly of this State, or received from any other source, for the use or benefit of the Department or of the districts;
(6) Be the administrative agency to represent this State in all matters arising from this chapter;
(7) Keep a full and accurate record of all its proceedings and of all its resolutions, regulations and orders issued or adopted;
(8) Make an annual audit of all its accounts of receipts and disbursements;
(9) Formulate and establish rules and procedures for conducting elections of district supervisors, and for conducting all other local referendums which may from time to time become necessary in order to give landowners an opportunity to reach majority conclusions with respect to the programs of the district;
(10) Make such other rules and regulations as it deems necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter;
(11) Make and execute contracts and other instruments, necessary or convenient to the exercise of its powers, with any federal, state or local agency, or with any person; and
(12) Adopt rules and regulations for surface water impoundment; upon request by any landowner within the drainage area involved, make hydrological and engineering studies to determine pertinent factors, including, but not limited to, the projected supply of available water, the past use of said water and the contemplated water use, and on the basis of said factors to permit impoundment, subject to the jurisdiction and authority of the Secretary and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to disapprove said permit within 30 days of submission to them of the completed plans and permit by the Department. No action by the Department shall establish any new permanent water rights nor substantially impair any existing rights to beneficial use of water.
(b) In addition to the above powers, and any other powers granted in other sections of this chapter, the Department may:
(1) Appoint such employees as it requires, within the limits of available funds, and determine their qualifications, duties and compensation;
(2) Call upon the Attorney General of the State for such legal services as it requires;
(3) Conduct surveys, investigations and research relating to erosion, floodwater and sediment damages, and to the conservation, protection, development and utilization of land and water resources, including impoundment and disposal of water, and removal of sediment from waterways, lakes, ponds or other bodies of water, and the prevention and control measures and works of improvement needed; publish the results of such surveys, investigations and research; disseminate information concerning such preventive and control measures and works of improvement; except, that any agricultural research shall be in cooperation with the Delaware Agricultural Experiment Station;
(4) Develop comprehensive plans for, and carry out, preventive and control measures and works of improvement for the prevention of erosion, floodwater and sediment damages and for the conservation, protection, development and utilization of land and water resources, including the impoundment and disposal of water, and removal of sediment from waterways, lakes, ponds or other bodies of water;
(5) Obtain or accept the cooperation and financial, technical or material assistance of the United States or any of its agencies, and of this State or any of its agencies or subdivisions, or from any other source, for use in carrying out the functions of the Department under this chapter;
(6) Obtain options upon and acquire by purchase, exchange, lease, gift, grant, bequest, devise or otherwise any property, real or personal, or rights or interests therein; maintain, administer and improve any properties acquired; receive income from such properties and expend such income in carrying out the purposes and provisions of this chapter; and sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of any of its real or personal property or interests therein, in furtherance of the purposes and provisions of this chapter, including conveyances, with or without consideration, of lands or interests therein to soil and water conservation districts for use in carrying out their authorized purposes;
(7) Construct, improve, operate and maintain such structures as may be necessary or convenient for the performance of any of the functions authorized in this chapter, and also, with the prior approval and agreement of the State Highway Department, which under § 131 of Title 17 has responsibility for the absolute care, management and control of public roads, causeways, highways and bridges in the State, construct, improve, protect or repair public roads, causeways, highways or bridges in those cases where other works of improvement authorized in this chapter affect such roads, causeways, highways or bridges;
(8) Cooperate, or enter into agreements with, and within the limits of available appropriations or other funds, furnish financial or other aid to any agency, governmental or otherwise, or any landowner, in the carrying out of operations authorized by this chapter, subject to such conditions as the Department may deem necessary to advance the purposes of this chapter;
(9) Appoint district supervisors in certain cases as in this chapter provided;
(10) Accept from tax ditches of the State in accordance with § 4161(10) of this title:
a. The responsibility for certain specified responsibilities for maintenance of the tax ditch;
b. All rights-of-way assigned by court order to the tax ditch for construction and maintenance operations;
c. Any and all powers possessed by the tax ditch, or the managers thereof, related to obstruction of, or damage to said tax ditch, or to the addition of territory to a tax ditch, or to the alteration of a tax ditch;
(11) Carry out specified responsibilities for maintenance of those tax ditches that choose to turn over such rights to the Department;
(12) Exercise all rights, under law, to utilize and protect the rights-of-way transferred to the Department by tax ditches for maintenance purposes, including those rights pertaining to obstruction of, or damage to, a tax ditch in § 4186 of this title, except that such rights-of-way may be used by the Department or its agents for maintenance purposes only; and
(13) Cooperate with other agencies and departments of the State, federal agencies, or any other landowners for use of the state dredge at the cost of the state agency and/or department, federal agency or the landowners requesting use of the state dredge. Cost for the use of the state dredge shall be limited to actual project costs incurred by the Department plus an amount equal to 10 percent of the actual project costs incurred for overhead expenses.