Any 25 or more landowners or the owners of more than 70 percent of the acres of land lying within the limits of the territory proposed to be organized into a district may file a petition with the State Department of Agriculture asking that a soil and water conservation district be formed to function in the territory described in the petition. Such petition shall set forth:
(a)
The proposed name of the district.
(b)
That there is need, in the interest of the general welfare, for a soil and water conservation district to function in the territory described in the petition.
(c)
A description of the territory proposed to be organized as a district. A description is sufficient if generally accurate and need not be given by metes and bounds or by legal subdivision.
(d)
A request that the department duly define the boundaries for the district, that a referendum be held within the territory so defined on the question of the formation of a district in such territory, and that the department determine that a district be formed.
(2)
If more than one petition is filed covering parts of the same territory, the department may consolidate all or any such petitions. [Amended by 1981 c.92 §7; 2009 c.220 §3]