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            A. The board shall work with the commissioner of conservation in his responsibilities to do all things necessary to prevent waste of groundwater resources, and to prevent or alleviate damaging or potentially damaging subsidence of the land surface caused by withdrawal of groundwater within the district. In conjunction with the commissioner of conservation, the board shall have authority to do, as required, the following:

            (1) To hold hearings.

            (2) To require permits for the drilling or construction of all wells drilled after July 31, 1974, having a capacity in excess of fifty thousand gallons per day.

            (3) To require registration with the board of all wells showing the date drilled, the name of the driller, if available, and the current ownership together with such other information as the board may reasonably require to permit it to accomplish the purposes of this legislation. No charge shall be assessed for such registration.

            (4) To require that all users of groundwater within the district register with the board showing the number, location, and capacity of wells owned or operated by them or solely for their benefit and designating the beneficial use or uses of that groundwater. The board shall classify each user as an industrial user or as a commercial, rural or municipal user of groundwater upon the basis of such information. The board shall have authority in its discretion to require periodical renewals of registrations to determine alterations in uses of water within the district. Such registrations may be required on an annual basis or such greater periods of time as the board may deem appropriate.

            (5) To establish standards for the construction of wells that would come under the jurisdiction of this part drilled after July 31, 1974.

            (6) To specify spacing of wells drilled after the effective date of this part in limited areas upon a showing that the water quality, quantity of withdrawal or subsidence in such area threatens the public interest.

            (7) To require well owners who are users, well owners providing water to other users, and users of groundwater who are not well owners to keep and furnish, on request, information necessary to carry out the provisions of this part pertinent to wells, drawdowns, grouting, casing sizes, property descriptions and other pertinent information reasonably required by the board, provided that as to wells in existence on the effective date of this part such information is available.

            (8) To collect data; to make investigations and inspections; to examine properties, papers, books, and records relevant to groundwater use or conservation; to examine, survey, check test, and gauge all water wells within the district; to require well owners who are users or well owners providing water to other users, at their own expense, to meter wells to permit accurate determination of rates of use. Metering may be required on a continuous or periodic basis, and the board may require approval by it of metering devices; to provide for the keeping of records and making of reports by owners of water wells providing water to users, and users of groundwater within the district.

            (9) To require that authorized representative of the board be enabled to enter property at reasonable times and under reasonable conditions to inspect wells, perform tests and examine records.

            (10) To establish standards for the control of existing and future flowing wells and the sealing of abandoned wells.

            (11) To require that all abandoned wells be reported and sealed in accordance with such standards.

            (12) To establish groundwater use priorities, under conditions supported by research data, which indicate depletion of water subject to this Part.

            (13) To acquire by all legal means property or property rights necessary to achieve the purposes of this part and to enter into all contracts necessary to the achievement of such purposes.

            (14) To assess the following:

            (a) A charge against all users within the district based upon the annual rate of use of each user sufficient to meet costs and expenses of operation. Such charges must be uniform as to all users, being assessed on the basis of units of water used, whether a cubic, acre-foot, or other unit be used, and without distinctions or graduations as to total amounts of water produced by individual users or classes of users, except that no charge shall be made against the quantity of water pumped from the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer. Further, such charges shall be assessed and income therefrom used only to defray the costs and expenses of operation of the district assessing them.

            (b) Costs for capital expenditures assessed to users based on either annual flows or specific costs for wells to individual users based on capital, debt service, and operation and maintenance costs. Costs may include specific systems and technologies to allow for remote monitoring of flows, water levels, water quality, and other parameters considered necessary by the board to conserve and protect groundwater resources and may include but are not limited to monitoring wells, scavenger wells, reclaimed water systems, pressure differential systems, water treatment systems, and other subsurface systems related to the protection of the aquifers.

            (c) Late fees for nonpayment of monthly or quarterly invoices not to exceed twenty-five dollars per month or one and one-half percent per day of the balance due, whichever is greater, calculated beginning thirty days after the due date.

            (d) Application fees not to exceed two thousand dollars for each application submitted for a new or upgraded well.

            (15) To cooperate with and enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with other governmental units and agencies of this state, with governments and agencies of other states and of the United States, and with private agencies or other groundwater conservation districts for the achievement of the purposes of this part.

            (16) To receive grants and enter into contracts for groundwater resource development.

            (17) To conduct studies and investigations of all problems concerning groundwater resources of the district.

            (18) To take all necessary steps to prevent intrusion of salt water or any other form of pollutant into any aquifer or aquifers, including the powers to operate withdrawal wells for the extraction of salt water or water affected by any pollutant and to dispose of such water by injection or otherwise; to operate injection wells to create freshwater barriers against salt water intrusion or the intrusion of any other pollutant; and to control pumping rates by users in any area threatened by intrusion of salt water or other form of pollutant.

            (19) Within affected areas, to limit rates of production of water from any aquifer or aquifers, after detailed research, considering both recharge and withdrawal data, when the quality or quantity of the supply of water afforded by such aquifer or aquifers is in danger for any reason or where the danger of damaging subsidence exists.

            (20) To use and permit the use of any of its property or facilities for recreational purposes and to operate thereon such concessions as may be appropriate to such recreational use or uses as long as such activities do not increase the net operating expenses to the district.

            (21) To sue and be sued as a body corporate.

            (22) To expand the district to include adjacent parishes, upon approval by the board, and with the consent of the governing body of the parish involved, said parish to have the same representation on the board, and subject to the same conditions, as provided for the original parishes included in this part.

            (23) To hire such personnel and retain such consultants as shall be reasonably necessary to the performance of its functions. Personnel from other agencies shall be used wherever practical and possible.

            (24) To advise and consult with the commissioner of conservation and the Water Resources Commission on matters that impact water resources within the board’s jurisdiction.

            B. No order limiting rates of production as authorized in Subsection A of this section shall have the effect of in any way denying to any owner of the land or any other person holding rights to water derivative from any landowner a reasonable opportunity to produce and beneficially use his just and equitable share of the groundwater supply affected by an order limiting rates of production.

            C. Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, the board formed hereunder shall have no authority to regulate water produced from formations producing oil or gas or both for commercial purposes or to issue any rule, regulation, or order conflicting with regulation of drilling to and production from or disposition of water from such formations by the commissioner of conservation. Nor shall the board formed hereunder have authority to regulate the production of salt water used for pressure maintenance, secondary recovery operations, or other operations for the production of oil or gas.

            D. Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, the board shall have no regulatory power over and no authority to assess pumping charges for a well or wells with a total depth of less than four hundred feet or wells in the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer; or wells from which the production is used exclusively for bona fide agricultural or horticultural purposes or for domestic use of persons resident upon the same premises and capable of producing not more than fifty thousand gallons per day in the aggregate.

            E. The board shall have authority to make, after notice and hearing and to enforce reasonable rules, regulations, or orders necessary from time to time to achieve the purposes and powers as outlined in this Part, and such rules, regulations and orders shall be effective and enforceable immediately upon promulgation in the official journal of each parish affected.

            Added by Acts 1974, No. 678, §1. Amended by Acts 1976, No. 231, §1; Acts 1980, No. 738, §1; Acts 2003, No. 49, §2, eff. July 1, 2003; Acts 2012, No. 471, §2; Acts 2021, No. 330, §1.