Notice of each project, the estimated assessment per acre, and a description of the boundaries thereof shall be given by publication in a local newspaper of general circulation thirty days in advance of commencing work. Any person owning land within the project may within ten days after publication of notice demand a hearing before the department in Olympia and present any reasons why he or she feels the assessment should not be made upon his or her land. Thereafter, the department may change the boundaries of said project to eliminate land from the project which it determines in its discretion will not be benefited by the project.