1.__Establish drought abatement program.__The board shall establish by rule a drought abatement program for a river watershed in accordance with this article.

2.__Rules.__In performance of its duties, the board may exercise the power to adopt, modify, amend and repeal rules to implement and enforce the provisions of this article.__The rules must include, but are not limited to, the following:

A.__Eligibility requirements for farmers with irrigation systems located in the affected areas to receive payments from the drought protection fund;

B.__Establishment of documentation requirements for nonuse of an irrigation system;

C.__Establishment of rules and procedures to be followed in connection with the irrigation reduction auction;

D.__Establishment of rules and procedures to be followed in connection with payments to permittees from the drought protection fund;

E.__Investigations and inspections to ensure compliance with this article, the rules and regulations issued pursuant to this article and any agreement or order that the bureau or director enters into or issues pursuant to this article; and

F.__Establishment of rules and procedures for conducting meetings and hearings.

Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.

§450-D.__Eligibility

To be eligible to receive payments from the drought protection fund, a person:

1.__Participation.__Must have applied to the board for participation in the drought abatement program and must have been accepted by the board as a participant prior to January 1st of any year deemed to be a drought year; and

2.__Actual previous irrigation.__Must have demonstrated, in a manner to be defined by the board, actual previous irrigation on the same acres of land that the farmer agrees not to irrigate in a given year.