2023 Idaho Code › Title 42 - IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE -- WATER RIGHTS AND RECLAMATION › Chapter 17 - DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES — WATER RESOURCE BOARD › Section 42-1756 - LOANS FROM ACCOUNT — APPLICATION — INVESTIGATION — APPROVAL — REPAYMENT — STATEMENT — FILING — DEFAULT.

42-1756. LOANS FROM ACCOUNT — APPLICATION — INVESTIGATION — APPROVAL — REPAYMENT — STATEMENT — FILING — DEFAULT. (1) Any irrigation district, canal or irrigation company, water users’ association, municipal corporation, municipality, private corporation, aquifer protection district, or, in special cases approved by the board, an individual may file an application with the board for a loan from the revolving account for the purpose of financing project costs. Such application shall be filed in such manner, and shall be in such form and be accompanied by such information as may be prescribed by the board; provided, however, that any such application filed with the board under the provisions of this act shall:
(a) Describe the nature and purpose(s) of the proposed project.
(b) Set forth or be accompanied by a plan for development of the proposed project, together with such engineering and economic feasibility data and estimated costs of construction as may be required by the board.
(c) State whether money other than that for which application is made to the board will be used for project costs, and whether such money is available or has been sought for this purpose.
(d) Show that the applicant holds or can acquire title to all lands or has the necessary easements and rights-of-way for the project and related lands, and has or can acquire all water rights necessary for the construction, operation and maintenance of the proposed project, or that there exists sufficient water available for appropriation by proof of a permit issued by the director of the department of water resources.
(2) Upon receipt of an application, the board shall evaluate and, if it deems it to be necessary, investigate all aspects of the proposed project and the proposed construction thereof. As a part of such investigation, the board shall determine whether the plan for development of the project is satisfactory. If the board determines that the plan is unsatisfactory, it shall return the application to the applicant and may make such recommendations to the applicant as are considered necessary to make the plan satisfactory.
(3) The board may approve a loan for project costs if after investigation (if deemed necessary) and evaluation it finds that:
(a) The plan does not conflict with any extant Idaho state water plan;
(b) The proposed project is feasible from an engineering standpoint and economically justified, with studies showing a favorable benefit to cost ratio;
(c) The plan for development of the proposed project is satisfactory;
(d) The applicant is qualified and responsible;
(e) There is reasonable assurance that the borrower can repay the loan; and
(f) The money in the revolving account is available for the loan.
(4) If the board approves a loan, the board and the applicant or applicants shall enter into an agreement for repayment to the revolving account of money loaned therefrom, together with interest thereon at reasonable rates as determined by the board. The agreement shall further provide that repayment of the loan, together with interest thereon, shall commence no later than one (1) full year after construction of the project is completed, and that repayment shall be completed within the time period specified by the board; provided that repayment to reserve accounts or guarantee funds shall be made as provided by order of the board. The repayment period shall not exceed sixty (60) years, except that the board may extend the time for making repayment in the event of emergency or hardship. Such agreement shall also provide for such assurances of, and security for, repayment of the loan as are considered necessary by the board.
(5) The board shall have security for a loan from the revolving account that is appropriate to the loan and the borrower. As security for the loan, the board may hold a lien against real property, including water rights, from the borrower and may file a statement of the loan, its amount, terms, and a description of the security with the county recorder of each county in which the project or any part thereof is located. The county recorder shall record the lien in a book kept for the recording of liens and it shall be indexed as other liens are required by law to be indexed. The lien shall be valid until paid in full or otherwise discharged. The lien shall be foreclosed in accordance with applicable state law governing foreclosure of mortgages and liens as set forth in chapter 1, title 6, Idaho Code, chapter 13, title 45, Idaho Code, and related provisions of the statutes of this state.
(6) If an applicant fails to comply with the repayment contract, its interest in the project may be conveyed to a successor upon approval by the board, which may contract with the qualified successor in interest of the original obligor for repayment of the loan, together with the interest thereon, and for succession to its rights and obligations in any contract with the board.
(7) The state shall have a lien on any or all projects the board improves or renovates with money from the revolving account, and such lien shall be valid and continue in effect until such funds, together with interest thereon, have been paid in full and the lien discharged. The board shall file a statement of the lien, and the lien shall be foreclosed upon all project property and rights as provided in subsection (5) of this section.
History:
[42-1756, added 1969, ch. 333, sec. 7, p. 1051; am. 1978, ch. 345, sec. 12, p. 895; am. 1979, ch. 154, sec. 2, p. 470; am. 2006, ch. 126, sec. 1, p. 362; am. 2006, ch. 304, sec. 2, p. 941; am. 2022, ch. 90, sec. 1, p. 255.]