The director of environmental protection shall prepare and maintain a comprehensive plan or plans for the development, use, and protection of water resources, covering all aspects of water management and including regional water development plans. The director of natural resources shall prepare and maintain the elements of such plans relating to recreation, fish, wildlife, flood control, and flood plain management.

The director of environmental protection shall not adopt any comprehensive plan until the director of natural resources approves those portions of the plan relating to recreation, fish, wildlife, flood control, and flood plain management.

In the performance of his functions relating to comprehensive water resource management planning, the director of environmental protection may plan different beneficial uses for different bodies of water and different reaches thereof, and in connection therewith shall give due consideration to the practicability and the physical and economic feasibility of compliance with requirements that would be necessary to attain the water quality to support such uses, and to the equities involved therein.

The director may review water management plans and studies made by, for, or required by law to be submitted to, governmental agencies, and render staff planning assistance to such agencies.

The director may develop, implement, and coordinate a comprehensive plan for water management research by state universities and other public and private institutions.

Effective Date: 03-22-1973 .