A. The authority is a corporate and politic body and shall have an official seal that shall be judicially noticed. The authority may sue and be sued, contract and acquire, hold, operate and dispose of property. Notwithstanding any other law and unless expressly waived by the authority, the authority is not subject to any statutory requirement to pay another party’s attorney fees or costs in any administrative or judicial proceeding. The authority is not a public service corporation subject to regulation by the corporation commission.

B. The authority, through its board, may:

1. Issue negotiable water quality bonds pursuant to section 49-1261 for the following purposes:

(a) To generate the state match required by the clean water act for the clean water revolving fund and to generate the match required by the safe drinking water act for the drinking water revolving fund.

(b) To provide financial assistance to political subdivisions, Indian tribes and eligible drinking water facilities for constructing, acquiring or improving wastewater treatment facilities, drinking water facilities, nonpoint source projects and other related water quality facilities and projects.

2. Issue water supply development bonds for the purpose of providing financial assistance to eligible entities for water supply development purposes pursuant to sections 49-1274 and 49-1275.

3. Provide financial assistance to political subdivisions and Indian tribes from monies in the clean water revolving fund to finance wastewater treatment projects.

4. Provide financial assistance to drinking water facilities from monies in the drinking water revolving fund to finance these facilities.

5. Provide financial assistance from monies in the water supply development revolving fund to finance water supply development as prescribed by this article.

6. Guarantee debt obligations of, and provide linked deposit guarantees through third-party lenders to:

(a) Political subdivisions that are issued to finance wastewater treatment projects.

(b) Drinking water facilities that are issued to finance these facilities.

7. Provide linked deposit guarantees through third-party lenders to political subdivisions and drinking water facilities.

8. Apply for, accept and administer grants and other financial assistance from the United States government and from other public and private sources.

9. Enter into capitalization grant agreements with the United States environmental protection agency.

10. Adopt rules pursuant to Title 41, Chapter 6 governing the application for and awarding of wastewater treatment facility, drinking water facility and nonpoint source project financial assistance under this chapter, administering the clean water revolving fund and the drinking water revolving fund and issuing water quality bonds.

11. Hire a director who serves at the pleasure of the board and who shall hire staff for the authority. The board may prescribe the terms and conditions of the director’s and staff’s employment as necessary to carry out the purposes of the authority. The board shall adopt written policies, procedures and guidelines, similar to those adopted by the department of administration, regarding officer and employee compensation, observed holidays, leave and reimbursement of travel expenses. The officers and employees of the authority may participate in the state retirement system prescribed by Title 38, Chapter 5, Article 2, and the board, consistent with section 38-656, subsection A, may provide that the authority’s officers and employees participate in the state employee health, disability and accident insurance prescribed by Title 38, Chapter 4, Article 4. The officers and employees of the authority are exempt from any laws regulating state employment, including the following:

(a) Title 41, chapter 4, article 4, relating to the state personnel system.

(b) Title 41, chapter 4, articles 5 and 6, relating to state service.

12. Contract for or employ the services of outside advisors, attorneys, engineers, financial and other consultants and aides reasonably necessary or desirable to allow the authority to adequately perform its duties.

13. Contract and incur obligations as reasonably necessary or desirable within the general scope of authority activities and operations to allow the authority to adequately perform its duties.

14. Assess financial assistance origination fees and annual fees to cover the reasonable costs of administering the authority and the monies administered by the authority. Any fees collected pursuant to this paragraph constitute governmental revenue and may be used for any purpose consistent with the mission and objectives of the authority.

15. Perform any function of a fund manager under the CERCLA Brownfields cleanup revolving loan fund program as requested by the department. The board shall perform any action authorized under this article on behalf of the Brownfields cleanup revolving loan fund program established pursuant to chapter 2, article 1.1 of this title at the request of the department. In order to perform these functions, the board shall enter into a written agreement with the department.

16. Provide grants, staff assistance or technical assistance in the form of loan repayment agreements and other professional assistance to political subdivisions, any county with a population of less than five hundred thousand persons, Indian tribes and community water systems in connection with developing or financing wastewater, drinking water, water reclamation or related water infrastructure. Assistance provided under a technical assistance loan repayment agreement shall be in a form and under terms determined by the authority and shall be repaid not more than three years after the date that the monies are advanced to the applicant. Technical assistance provided by the authority does not create any liability for the authority or this state regarding designing, constructing or operating any infrastructure project.

17. Provide grants, staff assistance or technical assistance in the form of loan repayment agreements and other professional assistance in accordance with section 49-1273. Assistance provided under a technical assistance loan repayment agreement shall be repaid not more than three years after the date that the monies are advanced to the applicant. Technical assistance provided by the authority does not create any liability for the authority or this state regarding designing, constructing or operating any water supply development project.

C. The authority may adopt rules pursuant to Title 41, Chapter 6 governing the application for and awarding of assistance under this chapter and the administration of the funds established by this chapter.

D. The board shall deposit, pursuant to sections 35-146 and 35-147, any monies received pursuant to subsection B, paragraph 8 of this section in the appropriate fund as prescribed by the grant or other financial assistance agreement.

E. The authority is not subject to Title 41, Chapter 23. In coordination with the department of administration, the authority shall establish procurement procedures by rule to administer the long-term water augmentation fund.

F. For the purposes of the safe drinking water act and the clean water act, the department is the state agency with primary responsibility for administering this state’s public water system supervision program and water pollution control program and, in consultation with other appropriate state agencies as appropriate, is the lead agency in establishing assistance priorities as prescribed by section 49-1224, subsection B, paragraph 3, section 49-1243, subsection A, paragraph 6 and section 49-1244, subsection B, paragraph 3.

G. For the purposes of this section, "CERCLA" has the same meaning prescribed in section 49-201.