1. (a) The department may by rule or order, when the department has reason to believe it is necessary and in the public interest, designate certain areas of Indiana where the withdrawal of ground waters exceeds or threatens to exceed natural replenishment as restricted use areas. Before the department designates an area as a restricted use area, the department shall do the following:

   1. (1) Have surveys made of the ground water resources of the area.
   2. (2) Determine the safe annual yield of the basin.

2. (b) The department may do the following:

   1. (1) Cooperate with the agencies of the federal government engaged in making ground water surveys.

   2. (2) Accept and use the findings of other agencies of the federal and state governments as a basis of the department's decisions.

      [Pre-1995 Recodification Citation: 13-2-2-3.]

As added by P.L.1-1995, SEC.18.