The chief of the division of water resources shall do all of the following:

(A) Assist in an advisory capacity any properly constituted watershed district, conservancy district, or soil and water conservation district or any county, municipal corporation, or other government agency of the state in the planning of works for ground water recharge, flood mitigation, floodplain management, flood control, flow capacity and stability of streams, rivers, and watercourses, or the establishment of water conservation practices, within the limits of the appropriations for those purposes;

(B) Have authority to conduct basic inventories of the water and related natural resources in each drainage basin in the state; to develop a plan on a watershed basis that will recognize the variety of uses to which water may be put and the need for its management for those uses; with the approval of the director of natural resources and the controlling board, to transfer appropriated or other funds, authorized for those inventories and plan, to any division of the department of natural resources or other state agencies for the purpose of developing pertinent data relating to the plan of water management; and to accept and expend moneys contributed by any person for implementing the development of the plan;

(C) Have authority to make detailed investigations of all factors relating to floods, floodplain management, and flood control in the state with particular attention to those factors bearing upon the hydraulic and hydrologic characteristics of rivers, streams, and watercourses, recognizing the variety of uses to which water and watercourses may be put;

(D) Cooperate with the United States or any agency thereof and with any political subdivision of the state in planning and constructing flood control works;

(E) Hold meetings or public hearings, whichever is considered appropriate by the chief, to assist in the resolution of conflicts between ground water users. Such meetings or hearings shall be called upon written request from boards of health of city or general health districts created by or under the authority of Chapter 3709. of the Revised Code or authorities having the duties of a board of health as authorized by section 3709.05 of the Revised Code, boards of county commissioners, boards of township trustees, legislative authorities of municipal corporations, or boards of directors of conservancy districts and may be called by the chief upon the request of any other person or at the chief's discretion. The chief shall collect and present at such meetings or hearings the available technical information relevant to the conflicts and to the ground water resource. The chief shall prepare a report, and may make recommendations, based upon the available technical data and the record of the meetings or hearings, about the use of the ground water resource. In making the report and any recommendations, the chief also may consider the factors listed in division (B) of section 1521.17 of the Revised Code. The technical information presented, the report prepared, and any recommendations made under this division shall be presumed to be prima-facie authentic and admissible as evidence in any court pursuant to Evidence Rule 902.

(F) Perform stream or ground water gauging and may contract with the United States government or any other agency for the gauging of any streams or ground water within the state;

(G) Primarily with regard to water quantity, have authority to collect, study, map, and interpret all available information, statistics, and data pertaining to the availability, supply, use, conservation, and replenishment of the ground and surface waters in the state in coordination with other agencies of this state;

(H) Primarily with regard to water quantity and availability, be authorized to cooperate with and negotiate for the state with any agency of the United States government, of this state, or of any other state pertaining to the water resources of the state;

(I) Provide engineering support for the coastal management program established under Chapter 1506. of the Revised Code;

(J) Define "Lake Erie drainage basin" and "Ohio river drainage basin" for the purposes of this chapter and Chapter 1522. of the Revised Code.

Amended by 133rd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 166, §101.01, eff. 10/17/2019.

Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 64, §101.01, eff. 1/1/2016.

Amended by 128th General AssemblyFile No.9, HB 1, §101.01, eff. 7/17/2009.

Effective Date: 06-14-2000 .