(a) The owners of a majority in interest of the acres of real estate within the boundaries of any drainage district organized under Kan. Stat. Ann. §§ 24-601 to 24-640, and amendments thereto, which district has constructed a drainage system, may at any time before or after the expiration of the number of years the same was to continue as stated in the articles of association, file their written petition with the clerk of the district court of the county in which the same is located and in the case in which the decree incorporating the district was rendered, asking for the renewal, extension and restoration of the articles of association of such drainage district for a number of years to be stated in such petition.

(b) Such petition shall stand for hearing following the filing of such petition, and upon finding that such petition is sufficient, the district court, by its order duly entered of record, shall duly declare such drainage district renewed, extended and restored with the same force and effect as if its articles of association had not become inoperative and void, or would not or had not expired by limitation. Within 20 days after the district court shall enter any such decree, the clerk thereof shall transmit to the secretary of state a certified copy of the record relating thereto, and the same shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state in the same manner as the articles of association of such drainage district were originally filed in such office.