ARTICLE 1. In General [8750. - 8774.]

Cal. Water Code - WAT 1.
in effect

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8750. Section 8750.

Whenever in the opinion of the board it is necessary to levy an assessment upon any lands within the drainage district for any of the purposes specified in this chapter, the board shall adopt plans and make careful estimates of the costs and expense.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8751. Section 8751.

The estimate shall include the following: (a) The expenses of bonding the assessment if authorized by law, other than an assessment to pay the costs and expenses necessary for the maintenance, repair, and operation of its existing works of reclamation and flood control. (b) The costs and expenses necessary for the completion, maintenance, and operation of any project adopted by the board prior to April 1, 1923. (c) The costs and expenses necessary for the adoption and carrying to completion of any project or work involved in or contained in the report of the California Debris Commission dated January 5, 1925.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8752. Section 8752.

The plans to be carried out shall be divided by the board into separate projects or units in such manner as will in its judgment best facilitate the levying of assessments for each particular project or unit in a just and equitable manner, according to benefits upon the lands in the district affected by the project or unit.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8753. Section 8753.

Each separate and particular project or unit shall include all by-passes, cuts, canals, sumps, levees, pumping plants and other works of flood control and drainage necessary to properly conduct the water of any stream, natural or otherwise, the outlet of which has been intercepted by the construction of any levee or embankment included in the project or unit into a by-pass.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8754. Section 8754.

The board shall enter in the minutes of the board a resolution to the effect that the execution of each separate project or unit which they determine upon is a public necessity.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8756. Section 8756.

All assessments, plans and funds intended for or connected with the execution of each project or unit shall be designated by name and number and kept separate and used only for the purpose of carrying out the particular project or unit.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8757. Section 8757.

In determining the benefits that will or may accrue to each particular tract of land by the construction or maintenance of the works contemplated by any project or unit, the works of the project or unit shall be considered as a whole and land shall be assessed for the works embraced in the project or unit only in the proportion that it will or may be benefited by the construction of the entire works embraced in the project or unit.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8758. Section 8758.

No land shall be considered as benefited by the construction or maintenance of the works embraced in a project or unit, nor shall any land be assessed for the expense of the construction or maintenance of the project or unit, because the land has been or may be first endangered or flooded, or the natural drainage thereof obstructed by the construction or maintenance of any part or portion of the works embraced in the project or unit prior to the completion of the construction of the entire works embraced in the project or unit.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8759. Section 8759.

Whenever an assessment has been levied by the board upon land in the district for general administrative expenses and other expenses not pertaining to any particular project, and the boundaries of the district have been or shall be extended so as to include land other than the land included within the district at the time the assessment was levied, the board shall make an estimate of the fair and equitable amount which should be contributed by the land included by the change of boundaries for the purposes of the assessment previously levied.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8760. Section 8760.

The board shall levy and cause to be assessed, equalized and collected in the manner provided in this part, an assessment to the amount of the estimate upon land included in the district by the change of boundaries, according to benefits in the manner provided in this part.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8761. Section 8761.

Whenever in the opinion of the board it appears that the total amount of any assessment previously levied and assessed and which has become a lien upon land in the drainage district, including assessments which have been bonded pursuant to the provisions of Part 5 of this division, is greater than required to meet all obligations incurred or to be incurred for the purposes for which the assessment was levied, the board may by resolution entered in its minutes, order the release of the lien of and abandonment of any part of the charges against any tract so assessed not required to be collected.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8762. Section 8762.

The portions of the assessment to be first abandoned and released shall be such portions of the charges on each tract as are based upon flood control benefits or by-pass severance as those terms are defined in, and determined by the assessors appointed by the reclamation board, pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8763. Section 8763.

No assessment upon any tract shall be released or abandoned in pursuance to Section 8761 until all delinquent installments which have accrued thereon, together with interest and penalties, have been paid in full and a copy of the resolution certified by the secretary of the board and attested with its seal has been deposited in the office of the county treasurer of each county wherein any land affected by the assessment is situated.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8764. Section 8764.

The resolution shall be annexed by the county treasurer to the assessment list of the assessment for his county.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8765. Section 8765.

When any payment has been made upon an assessment so abandoned and released, in whole or in part, the board may issue such warrants in the manner provided in this part as are necessary to secure a just, fair and equitable readjustment of the assessment so paid, but the reclamation board shall not take any action after June 30, 1944, to cause warrants to be issued for such readjustment of Sutter-Butte By-pass Assessment No. 6 and any action or proceeding brought to secure such readjustment of said Sutter-Butte By-pass Assessment No. 6 or to require the issuance of any warrant or payment of any money in connection with such readjustment of Sutter-Butte By-pass Assessment No. 6 must be commenced before January 1, 1945.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8766. Section 8766.

The board may in its discretion abandon any assessment in whole or in part at any time prior to the time when the lien of the assessment has accrued to the extent that the assessment is greater than required to meet the obligations incurred or to be incurred thereon.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8767. Section 8767.

In all cases in which an assessment is levied upon land within the drainage district, and the assessment upon any tract is thereafter adjudged invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, or, for any reason, the tract is not legally charged with the assessment, the tract shall be charged in any subsequent assessment with such proportion of the former assessment as the benefits derived by the land from the purposes for which the former assessment was levied bears to the whole amount of the former assessment.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8768. Section 8768.

Instead of proceeding under the next preceding section a subsequent reassessment of the tract may be made separately for the purpose of charging the land with its proper proportion of the assessment.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8769. Section 8769.

In case of any change of county boundary lines or creation of any new county, all acts and proceedings provided for in this chapter relating to any assessment upon land affected by the change of county boundary lines, or creation of the new county, shall be done as if the land was situated in the same county as at the time of appointment of the assessors to make the assessment.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8770. Section 8770.

The board has no power or authority to levy any assessment for any purpose upon property outside of the boundaries of the drainage district.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8772. Section 8772.

The Reclamation Board shall, by resolution entered in its minutes, order the release of the lien and abandonment of the charges against tracts assessed and owned by the United States, State, counties, cities, school districts, reclamation districts, or similar other public agency, but not against any tracts deeded to the State, counties, cities, or districts for delinquent taxes or assessments. A copy of the resolution, certified by the secretary of the board and attested by its seal, shall be filed in the office of the county treasurer of each county wherein such land is situated as evidence of the release and abandonment of said charges against said lands.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8773. Section 8773.

In pursuance to Section 8765, the Reclamation Board, after June 30, 1946, shall take no action except in accordance with a judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction to cause warrants to be issued for such readjustment of Feather River Assessment No. 7 and any action or proceeding brought by any party to cause payment of such adjustment must be commenced before January 1, 1947, and after June 30, 1948, all moneys remaining in Feather River Assessment No. 7 Fund shall revert to the General Fund of the State.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 8774. Section 8774.

In pursuance to Section 8765, the Reclamation Board, after June 30, 1946, shall take no action except in accordance with a judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction to cause warrants to be issued for such readjustment of Hood Levee Assessment No. 8 and any action or proceeding brought by any party to cause payment of such adjustment must be commenced before January 1, 1947, and after June 30, 1948, all moneys remaining in Hood Levee Assessment No. 8 Fund shall revert to the General Fund of the State.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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