(1) Any irrigation district, operating and maintaining an irrigation system, in addition to other powers conferred by law, shall have authority:
(a) To purchase and sell electric power to the inhabitants of the irrigation district for the purposes of irrigation and domestic use; to finance, acquire, construct, own, and lease dams, canals, plants, transmission lines, and other power equipment and the necessary property and rights therefor and to operate, improve, repair, and maintain the same, for the generation and transmission of electrical energy for use in the operation of pumping plants and irrigation systems of the district and for sale to the inhabitants of the irrigation district for the purposes of irrigation and domestic use; and, as a further and separate grant of authority and in furtherance of a state purpose and policy of developing hydroelectric capability in connection with irrigation facilities, to construct, finance, acquire, own, lease, operate, improve, repair, and maintain, alone or jointly with other irrigation districts, boards of control, municipal or quasi-municipal corporations or cooperatives authorized to engage in the business of distributing electricity, electrical companies subject to the jurisdiction of the utilities and transportation commission, private commercial or industrial entities that construct or operate electric power generation or transmission facilities, or private commercial or industrial entities that acquire electric power for their own use or resale, hydroelectric facilities including but not limited to dams, canals, plants, transmission lines, other power equipment, and the necessary property and rights therefor, located within or outside the district, for the purpose of utilizing for the generation of electricity, water power made available by and as a part of the irrigation water storage, conveyance, and distribution facilities, waste ways, and drainage water facilities which serve irrigation districts, and to sell any and all the electric energy generated at any such hydroelectric facilities or the irrigation district's share of such energy, to municipal or quasi-municipal corporations or cooperatives authorized to engage in the business of distributing electricity, electrical companies subject to the jurisdiction of the utilities and transportation commission, private commercial or industrial entities that acquire electric power for their own use or resale, or other irrigation districts, and on such terms and conditions as the board of directors shall determine. No contract entered into under this subsection (1)(a) by the board of directors of any irrigation district for the sale of electrical energy from such hydroelectric facility for a period longer than forty years from the date of commercial operation of such hydroelectric facility shall be binding on the district until ratified by a majority vote of the electors of the district at an election therein, called, held, and canvassed for that purpose in the same manner as that provided by law for district bond elections.
(b) To construct, repair, purchase, maintain, or lease a system for the sale or lease of water to the owners of irrigated lands within the district for domestic purposes.
(c) To construct, repair, purchase, lease, acquire, operate and maintain a system of drains, sanitary sewers, and sewage disposal or treatment plants as herein provided.
(d) To assume, as principal or guarantor, any indebtedness to the United States under the federal reclamation laws, on account of district lands.
(e) To maintain, repair, construct, and reconstruct ditches, laterals, pipe lines, and other water conduits used or to be used in carrying water for irrigation of lands located within the boundaries of a city or town, or for the domestic use of the residents of a city or town where the owners of land within such city or town shall use such works to carry water to the boundaries of such city or town for irrigation, domestic, or other purposes within such city or town, and to charge to such city or town the pro rata proportion of the cost of such maintenance, repair, construction, and reconstruction work in proportion to the benefits received by the lands served and located within the boundaries of such city or town, and if such cost is not paid, then and in that event said irrigation district shall have the right to prevent further water deliveries through such works to the lands located within the boundaries of such city or town until such charges have been paid.
(f) To acquire, install, and maintain as a part of the irrigation district's water system the necessary water mains and fire hydrants to make water available for firefighting purposes; and in addition any such irrigation district shall have the authority to repair, operate, and maintain such hydrants and mains.
(g) To enter into contracts with other irrigation districts, boards of control, municipal or quasi-municipal corporations or cooperatives authorized to engage in the business of distributing electricity, electrical companies subject to the jurisdiction of the utilities and transportation commission, private commercial or industrial entities that construct or operate electric power generation or transmission facilities, or private commercial or industrial entities that acquire electric power for their own use or resale, to jointly finance, acquire, lease, construct, own, operate, improve, repair, and maintain irrigation water, domestic water, drainage and sewerage works, and electrical power works to the same extent as authorized by (a) of this subsection, or portions of such works. If an irrigation district enters into a contract or agreement under this subsection (1)(g) to create a legal entity or undertaking with an investor-owned utility or a private commercial or industrial entity, that contract or agreement must provide that the irrigation district be severally liable only for its own acts and not jointly or severally liable for the acts, omissions, or obligations of an investor-owned utility or a private commercial or industrial entity. No money or property supplied by any irrigation district for the planning, financing, acquisition, construction, operation, or maintenance of any common facility may be credited or otherwise applied to the account of any investor-owned utility or private commercial or industrial entity therein, nor may the undivided share of any irrigation district in any common facility be charged, directly or indirectly, with any debt or obligation of any investor-owned utility or private commercial or industrial entity or be subject to any lien as a result thereof. No action in connection with a common facility may be binding upon any irrigation district unless authorized or approved by resolution of its board.
(h) To acquire from a water-sewer district wholly within the irrigation district's boundaries, by a conveyance without cost, the water-sewer district's water system and to operate the same to provide water for the domestic use of the irrigation district residents. As a part of its acceptance of the conveyance the irrigation district must agree to relieve the water-sewer district of responsibility for maintenance and repair of the system. Any such water-sewer district is authorized to make such a conveyance if all indebtedness of the water-sewer district, except local improvement district bonds, has been paid and the conveyance has been approved by a majority of the water-sewer district's voters voting at a general or special election.
(i) To approve and condition placement of hydroelectric generation facilities by entities other than the district on water conveyance facilities operated or maintained by the district.
(2) An irrigation district providing electric or water utility service to residential customers may not effect, due to lack of payment, an involuntary termination of utility service to any residential users, including tenants of metered apartment buildings and residents of mobile homes, on any day for which the national weather service has issued or has announced that it intends to issue a heat-related alert, such as an excessive heat warning, a heat advisory, an excessive heat watch, or a similar alert, for the area in which the residential user's address is located.
(a)(i) A residential user at whose dwelling electric or water utility service has been disconnected for lack of payment may request that the irrigation district reconnect service on any day for which the national weather service has issued or has announced that it intends to issue a heat-related alert, such as an excessive heat warning, a heat advisory, an excessive heat watch, or a similar alert, for the area in which the residential user's address is located. The irrigation district shall inform all customers in the notice of disconnection of the ability to seek reconnection and provide clear and specific information on how to make that request, including how to contact the irrigation district.
(ii) Upon receipt of a request made pursuant to (a)(i) of this subsection, the irrigation district shall promptly make a reasonable attempt to reconnect service to the dwelling. The irrigation district, in connection with a request made pursuant to (a)(i) of this subsection, may require the residential user to enter into a payment plan prior to reconnecting service to the dwelling. If the irrigation district requires the residential user to enter into a repayment plan, the repayment plan must comply with (b) of this subsection.
(b) A repayment plan required by an irrigation district pursuant to (a)(ii) of this subsection will be designed both to pay the past due bill by the following May 15th, or as soon as possible after May 15th if needed to maintain monthly payments that are no greater than six percent of the customer's monthly income, and to pay for continued utility service. The plan may not require monthly payments in excess of six percent of the customer's monthly income. A customer may agree to pay a higher percentage during this period, but will not be in default unless payment during this period is less than six percent of the customer's monthly income. If assistance payments are received by the customer subsequent to implementation of the plan, the customer shall contact the irrigation district to reformulate the plan.
(c) On an annual basis, each irrigation district with more than 25,000 retail electric customers or 2,500 water customers in Washington must submit a report to the department of commerce that includes the total number of disconnections that occurred on each day for which the national weather service issued, or announced that it intended to issue, a heat-related alert. Irrigation districts with fewer than 25,000 retail electric customers or 2,500 water customers in Washington must provide similar information upon request by the department.
(i) Subject to availability, each irrigation district must provide any other information related to utility disconnections that is requested by the department.
(ii) The information required in this subsection (2)(c) must be submitted in a form, timeline, and manner as prescribed by the department.
(3) This section shall not be construed as in any manner abridging any other powers of an irrigation district conferred by law.
Part headings not law — 1999 c 153: See note following RCW 57.04.050 .
Effective date — Severability — 1979 ex.s. c 185: See notes following RCW 87.03.013 .