Whenever rights, powers and duties have heretofore been vested in, or exercised by, the commissioner of reclamation, the state reclamation engineer or the director of the department of water administration, all such rights, powers and duties are hereby transferred to and are vested in and shall be exercised by the director of the department of water resources, and every act done in the exercise of such rights, powers and duties shall have the same legal effect as if done by the former commissioner of reclamation, state reclamation engineer, or director of the department of water administration, or the department of reclamation or the department of water administration, or any deputy inspector or subordinate officer thereof, and the said director of the department of water resources shall be subject to the same obligations and duties and shall have the same rights arising from the exercise of such rights, powers and duties as if such rights, powers and duties were exercised by the said commissioner of reclamation, state reclamation engineer, or director of the department of water administration, or department of reclamation or department of water administration, deputy or subordinate officer thereof designated in the respective laws which are to be administered by the said director of the department of water resources and he shall be subject to the same penalty or penalties, civil or criminal, for failure to perform any such obligation or duty or for doing a prohibited act as if such obligation or duty or such act were prohibited in the exercise of such rights, powers or duties by the commissioner of reclamation, state reclamation engineer, or director of the department of water administration designated in the respective laws which are to be administered by the said director of the department of water resources, and the office of commissioner of reclamation, the office of state reclamation engineer, the office of director of the department of water administration each is hereby abolished and the said director of the department of water resources is hereby declared to be the successor of the said commissioner, the said engineer, or the said director of the department of water administration as to all rights, powers and duties and as to all proceedings now pending in the said department of reclamation, or department of water administration or in an appeal therefrom or in any action pending in any court of competent jurisdiction in which the said commissioner of reclamation, the state reclamation engineer, or the director of the department of water administration is a party in any such action or proceeding. All books, records, papers, documents, property, real and personal, unexpended appropriations and pending business in any way pertaining to the rights, powers and duties hereby transferred to and vested in the said director of the department of water resources shall be delivered and transferred to the said director of the department of water resources.