(1) When requested by the department, the attorney general and the county attorneys within their respective counties shall perform legal services and conduct legal proceedings necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter. The department may also employ legal counsel to enforce this chapter and to conduct proceedings under it.
(2) If an appropriator who is a citizen of Montana becomes involved in a controversy to which any agency of the federal government or another state is a party, the department may in its discretion intervene as a party or provide necessary legal assistance to the citizen of Montana.