For the purpose of stabilizing water supply and thereby rehabilitating farmers on the land and providing opportunities for permanent settlement of farm families, the Secretary of the Interior (hereinafter referred to as “the Secretary”) is authorized to investigate and, upon compliance with the provisions of this subchapter, to construct water conservation and utilization projects in the Great Plains and arid and semiarid areas of the United States, and to operate and maintain each such project in accordance with the provisions of this subchapter; Provided, That the United States shall retain title to the dams, reservoirs, irrigation, and other project works until Congress otherwise provides: And provided further, That expenditures from appropriations made directly pursuant to the authority contained in section 590z–10(1) of this title to meet reimbursable construction costs allocated to irrigation as defined in section 590z–2(b) of this title shall not exceed $2,000,000 for dams and reservoirs in any one project, and that expenditures from appropriations made directly pursuant to the authority contained in section 590z–10(1) of this title to meet costs allocated to flood control by the Secretary after consultation with the Chief of Engineers, Department of the Army, shall not exceed $500,000 on any one project.

In connection with the investigation, construction, or operation and maintenance of a project, pursuant to the authority of this subchapter, the Secretary is authorized to utilize (1) in such manner as the President may direct, services, labor, materials, or other property, including money, supplied by the Work Projects Administration, the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Office of Indian Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, or any other Federal agency, for which the United States shall be reimbursed in such amounts as the President may fix for each project, within the limits of the water users’ ability to repay costs as found by the Secretary under section 590z–1(a)(iv) of this title; and (2) such services, labor, materials, easements or property, including money, as may be contributed by any State or political subdivision thereof, State agency, municipal corporation, or other organization, or individuals, if, in the judgment of the Secretary, the acceptance thereof will not impair the title of the United States to the project works and will not reduce the probability that the project water users can meet the obligations to the United States entered into pursuant to this subchapter. Moneys received and accepted under (2) of this section shall be and remain available for expenditure for the purposes for which contributed in like manner as if said sums had been specifically appropriated for said purposes.

The Secretary, by cooperative agreements, may arrange with the Department of Agriculture or with such other Federal or State agencies, as the President may deem desirable, for cooperation in the investigations and surveys of projects proposed under the authority of this subchapter; and in connection with any such project which is undertaken the Secretary by such cooperative agreements may arrange for such cooperation in the construction or operation and maintenance of the project as he deems desirable. Any such cooperative agreement with the Department of Agriculture may provide, among other things (1) that the Secretary of Agriculture shall enter into the repayment contracts, required by section 590z–2 of this title and shall handle the collections of repayments and shall take over the other administrative duties connected with the project, after the Secretary of the Interior announces that the project is ready for operation; (2) if such agreement be entered into after construction of the project has been undertaken by the Secretary of the Interior and after he has entered into the repayment contracts required by section 590z–2 of this title, that the Secretary of Agriculture shall take over the collection of repayments and other administrative duties connected with the project; (3) that no water shall be delivered to or for any land or party while the owner of said land or said party is in arrears for more than twelve months in the payment to the United States of money due and payable under a land contract entered into pursuant to section 590z–3(a) of this title; and (4) that any repayment contract with a water user or water users’ organization entered into pursuant to section 590z–2 of this title and any land contract with the same water user or organization entered into pursuant to section 590z–3(a) of this title, if said contracts involve the same land, may be combined in a single instrument. The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to carry out the provision of any such cooperative agreements.

All payments made to the United States under repayment contracts on account of reimbursable construction costs, including penalties collected for delinquencies in such payments, and all other receipts from project operations pursuant to sections 590z–2 and 590z–7 of this title shall be covered into the Treasury to the credit of miscellaneous receipts. Charges collected during the development period of a project under section 590z–2(c)(1) of this title, excepting such amounts thereof as may be credited to reimbursable construction costs, and charges collected for the operation and maintenance of a project under section 590z–2(c)(2) of this title shall be available for expenditure for operation and maintenance of said project in like manner as if said funds had been specifically appropriated for said purposes.

The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture are authorized to perform any and all Acts 1

To carry out the purposes of this subchapter there is hereby authorized to be appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated (1) for the Department of the Interior such sums as may be necessary to carry out its functions under this subchapter, and (2) for the Department of Agriculture such sums as may be necessary to carry out its functions under this subchapter.

For the purpose of facilitating and simplifying the administration of the Federal reclamation laws (Act of June 17, 1902, 32 Stat. 388, and Acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto) and the Act of August 11, 1939 (53 Stat. 1418), as amended [16 U.S.C. 590y et seq.], the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to delegate, from time to time and to the extent and under such regulations as he deems proper, his powers and duties under said laws to the Commissioner of Reclamation, an Assistant Commissioner, or the officer in charge of any office, division, district, or project of the Bureau of Reclamation.