The district may acquire by appropriation, or by purchase, exchange, or gift, such water rights as are necessary for the development of its water resource projects, including projects for which it has secured authority to execute financing agreements pursuant to § 46A-1-49. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the district may acquire, by obtaining a permit or permits from the water management board, rights to appropriate water for energy industry use for marketing to energy industry users for such consideration and under such terms and conditions as are fixed by contract or instrument of conveyance. The district may not acquire rights to appropriate more than fifty thousand acre-feet of water for energy industry use per year.
SDCL 46A-2-18