1.    A water resource board may undertake the snagging, clearing, and maintaining of natural watercourses and the debrisment of bridges and low-water crossings. The board may finance the project in whole or in part with funds raised through the collection of a special assessment levied against the land and premises benefited by the project. The benefits of a project must be determined in the manner provided in section 61-16.1-18. Revenue from an assessment under this section may not be used for construction of a drain or reconstruction or maintenance of an existing assessment drain. Any question as to whether the board is maintaining a natural watercourse or is constructing a drain or reconstructing or maintaining an existing assessment drain must be resolved by the department of water resources. All provisions of this chapter apply to assessments levied under this section except:

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a.    An assessment may not exceed fifty cents per acre [.40 hectare] annually on agricultural lands and may not exceed fifty cents annually for each five hundred dollars of taxable valuation of nonagricultural property.

b.    If the assessment is for a project costing less than one hundred thousand dollars, no action is required for the establishment of the assessment district or the    assessments except the board must approve the project and assessment by a vote of two-thirds of the members and the board of county commissioners of the county in which the project is located must approve and levy the assessments to be made by a vote of two-thirds of its members.

(1) If a board that undertakes a project finds the project will benefit lands outside water resource district boundaries, the board shall provide notice to the water resource board where the benefited lands are located together with the report prepared under section 61-16.1-17.

(2) The board of each water resource district containing lands benefited by a project must approve the project and assessment by a vote of two-thirds of its members. The board of county commissioners in each county that contains lands benefited by a project must approve and levy the assessment to be made by a vote of two-thirds of its members.

(3) If a project and assessment is not approved by all affected water resource boards and county commission boards, the board of each water resource district and the board of county commissioners of each county shall meet to ensure all common water management problems are resolved pursuant to section 61-16.1-10. In addition, the water resource board that undertakes the project may proceed with the project if the board finances the cost of the project and does not assess land outside the boundaries of the district.

c.    All revenue from an assessment under this section must be exhausted before a subsequent assessment covering any portion of lands subject to a prior assessment may be levied.

2.    Before an assessment may be levied under this section, a public hearing must be held and attended by a quorum of the affected water resource boards and a quorum of the affected boards of county commissioners. The hearing must be preceded by notice as to date, time, location, and subject matter published in the official newspaper in the county in which the proposed assessment is to be levied. The notice must be published at least ten days but not more than thirty days before the public hearing.