Subdivision 1.General purposes.

To conserve the natural resources of the state by land use planning, flood control, and other conservation projects by using sound scientific principles for the protection of the public health and welfare and the provident use of the natural resources, the establishment of watershed districts is authorized under this chapter.

Subd. 2.Specific purposes.

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A watershed district may be established for any of the following purposes:

(1) to control or alleviate damage from floodwaters;

(2) to improve stream channels for drainage, navigation, and any other public purpose;

(3) to reclaim or fill wet and overflowed land;

(4) to provide a water supply for irrigation;

(5) to regulate the flow of streams and conserve the streams’ water;

(6) to divert or change all or part of watercourses;

(7) to provide or conserve water supply for domestic, industrial, recreational, agricultural, or other public use;

(8) to provide for sanitation and public health, and regulate the use of streams, ditches, or watercourses to dispose of waste;

(9) to repair, improve, relocate, modify, consolidate, and abandon all or part of drainage systems within a watershed district;

(10) to control or alleviate soil erosion and siltation of watercourses or water basins;

(11) to regulate improvements by riparian property owners of the beds, banks, and shores of lakes, streams, and wetlands for preservation and beneficial public use;

(12) to provide for hydroelectric power generation;

(13) to protect or enhance the water quality in watercourses or water basins; and

(14) to provide for the protection of groundwater and regulate its use to preserve it for beneficial purposes.