---
kind: "section"
citation: "43 U.S.C. § 500"
title: "43"
title_heading: "Public Lands"
number: "500"
heading: "Duty of association or district to take over management"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/43/500"
units:
  - "Chapter 12 — Reclamation and Irrigation of Lands by Federal Government"
  - "Subchapter XI — Maintenance and Operation of Works Generally"
---

# §500. Duty of association or district to take over management


Whenever two-thirds of the irrigable area of any [project](/usc/43/485a.md?p=c), or [division of a project](/usc/43/485a.md?p=h), shall be covered by water-right contracts between the water users and the United States, said [project](/usc/43/485a.md?p=c) shall be required, as a condition precedent to receiving the benefits of sections 371, 376, 377, 412, 417, 433, 438,[^1] 462, 463,[^1] 466, 467,[^1] 473,[^1] 474,[^1] 478, 493, 494, 500, 501, and [526](/usc/43/526.md) of this title to take over, through a legally organized water-users’ [association](/usc/43/31b.md?p=2) or irrigation district, the care, operation, and maintenance of all or any part of the [project](/usc/43/485a.md?p=c) works, subject to such rules and regulations as the [Secretary](/usc/43/485a.md?p=b) may prescribe, and thereafter the United States, in its relation to said [project](/usc/43/485a.md?p=c), shall deal with a water users’ [association](/usc/43/31b.md?p=2) or irrigation district, and when the water users assume control of a [project](/usc/43/485a.md?p=c), the operation and maintenance charges for the year then current shall be covered into the construction account to be repaid as part of the construction repayments.


## Footnotes

[^1]: See References in Text note below.

## Source credit

(Dec. 5, 1924, ch. 4, § 4, subsec. G, 43 Stat. 702.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

Section 438 of this title, referred to in text, was repealed by act Aug. 13, 1953, ch. 428, § 10, 67 Stat. 568.

Sections 463, 467, 473, and 474 of this title, referred to in text, were repealed by act May 25, 1926, ch. 383, § 47, 44 Stat. 650.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Definitions

The definitions in section 371 of this title apply to this section.