21-302 - Petition based on widening, deepening, etc., of natural streams. - Virginia Statutes

§ 21-302. Petition based on widening, deepening, etc., of natural streams.

If the majority of the landowners in any wet, swamp or overflowed landspetition the court for a drainage district based on the widening, deepening,cleaning or straightening of such natural streams only as the United Statesgovernment or the state drainage authorities pronounce as essential for thedrainage of such lands, and agree in the petition to a tax levy for suchdraining, spread equally over each acre, then the court shall entertain suchpetition and all proceedings shall be in accordance with the provisions ofthis chapter, except that the viewers shall not classify the lands as to thebenefit derived. Furthermore, in any case where it is made to appear, afterthe natural stream has been widened, reopened, cleaned out or straightened,that the majority of the landowners of any district, formed under theprovisions of this section, desire that such district be divided intosubdistricts, the court may, in its discretion so order.

(Code 1919, § 1738; 1920, p. 608; 1924, p. 708; 1926, p. 607.)