(1) The merger of irrigation districts shall not affect or impair any bonds or obligations of the merged districts and the holders of the bonds of any merged district shall be entitled to all remedies for their enforcement as if the district had not been merged. All obligations incurred by the district prior to its merger shall be a prior lien to any obligation that may be incurred against the district created by the merger. However, the board of directors of the merged district may, when authorized under RCW 87.03.200 and with the consent of the bondholders, exchange the bonds of the district created by the merger for the bonds of the districts that merged. If the major or minor district entered, prior to the merger, into a contract with the United States under this chapter and the board of directors of the district created by the merger proposes that the merged district enter into a contract with the United States, the board may do so when authorized under RCW 87.03.200 and may, with the consent of the United States, cancel any contract previously entered into between the major or minor district and the United States.

(2) The district created by the merger shall be entitled to all remedies for the enforcement of the irrigation district assessments and other obligations of lands to the districts that merged as if the districts had not merged. All obligations incurred for irrigation district or local improvement district purposes by the lands within the major or minor district prior to its merger shall be a prior lien to any obligation that may be incurred against those lands after the merger.

(3) Until premerger assessments have been collected and all of the premerger indebtedness of the major and minor districts that merged have been paid, separate funds shall be maintained for each district as were maintained in each prior to the merger. The board of directors of the irrigation district created by the merger may establish a local improvement district for each district included in the merger to carry out the obligations of each such district. This board shall have all the powers possessed by the boards of directors of the districts included in the merger to carry out all contracts of the included districts and to levy, assess, and cause to be collected any and all assessments or charges against the lands of each of the included districts. A petition shall not be required for the formation of a local improvement district created for this purpose.