COMPILED CODE - Iowa Legislature - State of Iowa

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Tit. XV, Ch. 2. LEVEES, DRAINS AND WATERCOURSES. §§ 4836-al-4837.
TITLE XV.
CERTAIN INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
CHAPTER 2.
LEVEES, DITCHES, DRAINS AND WATERCOURSES.
SECTION 4836-al. Levee defined — bank protection — overflowed
lands.
For the purposes of this chapter the word "levee" shall be construed
to include in addition to its ordinary and accepted meaning embankments,
revetments, retards or any other approved system of construction
which may be deemed necessary adequately to protect the
banks of any river or stream, within or adjacent to any county, from
wash, cutting or erosion, and the provisions of this chapter shall be
liberally construed to promote, embrace and authorize the drainage,
reclamation or protection of wet and overflowed lands, or lands endangered,
or liable to be endangered by wash, cutting or erosion, within
this state, and the preservation and maintenance of such works
whether heretofore or hereafter constructed.
[39 G. A., ch. 45, § 1J
SEC. 4837. Proceedings—bond—survey.
1 Whenever a petition signed by one or more of the landowners
2 whose lands will be affected by, or assessed for the expenses of, the
3 proposed improvement, shall be filed in the office of the county auditor,
4 setting forth that any body or district of land in the county, described
5 by metes and bounds, or otherwise, so as to convey an intelligible
6 description of such lands, is subject to overflow or too wet for culti-
7 vation, and that the public benefit or utility, or the public health, con-
8 venience or welfare will be promoted by draining, ditching, tiling or
9 leveeing the same, or by changing a natural watercourse, and setting
10 forth therein the starting point, route and terminus and lateral
11 branches, if necessary, of the proposed improvement, and there is filed
12 therewith a bond, in amount and with sureties to be approved by the
13 county auditor and conditioned for the payment of all costs and ex-
14 penses incurred in the proceedings in case the supervisors do not
15 grant the prayer of said petition, the board shall at its first session
16 thereafter, regular, special or adjourned, appoint a disinterested and
17 competent engineer, who shall give bond to the county for the use
18 and benefit of the proposed levee or drainage district, if it be estable
lished, in amount and with sureties to be approved by the county audi-
20 tor and conditioned for the faithful and competent performance of
21 his work, and place a copy of the petition in his hands and he shall
22 proceed to examine the lands described in said petition and any other
23 lands which would be benefited by said improvement or necessary in