§ 488:1 — Statement of Purpose

This chapter provides for uniform statewide collection of water use data to understand how water resources are utilized in the state by establishing procedures and standards for the registration, measurement, and reporting of water use. The legislature recognizes the fundamental importance of water resources and intends to provide a framework to obtain and maintain basic water use data for the state. The legislature recognizes that information describing the major water uses of the state along with assessing the amount of water in a given watershed or aquifer are integral to all water resource quantity assessments and management decisions. Water use data is necessary to understand the effects of cumulative uses, transfers, discharges, and consumptive water losses in aquifers and watersheds in the state. Water use data also identifies the quantity and timing of existing water uses, and this information can be used to estimate future water needs of the state. Water use data is also necessary for verifying compliance with and equitable enforcement of state laws pertaining to groundwater and surface water.

Legislative History

2005, 240:1, eff. Jan. 1, 2006.