A.  There is hereby expressly conferred upon the State of Louisiana, its departments and agencies and upon the political subdivisions of the state, the authority to cooperate with the board of commissioners of the Sabine River Authority, to make contributions or grants to said Authority for any of the purposes of this Chapter and to enter into contracts and agreements with the Authority in furtherance of any of the purposes of this Chapter.  

B.  The Authority, its board of commissioners, its agents and authorized representatives may construct, within its territorial jurisdiction any of its works or facilities across any stream or body of water, water course, street, avenue, highway, railway, canal, ditch or flume which the route of any canal, conduit, ditch, syphon, drain, telephone line or bridge of the Authority may intersect or cross, but the Authority shall restore them when so crossed or intersected to their former state as nearly as possible or in such manner as not to impair unnecessarily the usefulness thereof.  The operators of all railroads and the boards or authorities in control of public roads and highways shall cooperate with the Authority in forming necessary intersections and crossings and shall grant the privileges therefor.  If the owners or controlling authorities of the property, thing or franchise to be crossed or intersected and the Authority cannot agree upon the amount to be paid for any damage resulting therefrom, or upon the points or the manners of the crossing or intersections, they shall be ascertained and determined in the manner provided for the taking of property by expropriation.  

C.  The Authority may locate, construct, operate and maintain any of its works or facilities over, under, through, in or along any of the lands which are the property of the state or of any subdivision, institution, agency or instrumentality thereof, within its territorial jurisdiction without the obtaining of consents, licenses or permits other than the consent herein granted.  

D.  The Authority, its board, agents, employees and authorized representatives may enter upon any land, within its territorial jurisdiction to make surveys or locate its works or facilities, including but without limitation, buildings, structures, and other facilities which the board finds necessary or useful for the purposes of the Authority within its territorial jurisdiction.  

E.  So far as authority is vested in the legislature to grant such right, the Sabine River Authority is hereby expressly granted and vested with full right to use all waters and to possess all water rights in the waters of the Sabine River and its tributaries necessary to the carrying out of its corporate objectives, and the right herein so vested in the Authority shall be prior and superior to all other rights in such waters, provided only that water and riparian rights now vested in private persons or entities shall not be taken or damaged without the paying of adequate compensation therefor, which compensation shall be determined in the manner hereinafter provided for the expropriation of property.  

Added by Acts 1950, No. 261, §8.  Amended by Acts 1956, No. 432, §3.