(A) The chief of the division of water resources shall not issue a withdrawal and consumptive use permit for a facility if the chief determines that the facility does not meet all of the criteria established in Section 4.11 of the compact.

(B) In applying the provision of the decision-making standard established in Section 4.11.2 of the compact, the chief shall require that a withdrawal or consumptive use will be implemented so as to ensure that the withdrawal or consumptive use will result in no significant individual or cumulative adverse impacts on the quantity or quality of the waters and water dependent natural resources of the great lakes basin considered as a whole or of the Lake Erie source watershed considered as a whole. As part of the evaluation of a permit application under Section 4.11.2 of the compact, the chief shall do all of the following:

(1) Rely on the best generally accepted scientific methods appropriate for this state derived from professionally accepted resources and practices;

(2) Consider the long-term mean annual inflow and outflow of the Lake Erie source watershed;

(3) Consider the withdrawal and the portion of the withdrawal that is not returned to the Lake Erie source watershed.

(C) Impacts of a withdrawal or consumptive use on the quantity or quality of waters and water dependent natural resources of more localized areas that affect less than the great lakes basin considered as a whole or the Lake Erie source watershed considered as a whole shall be considered as a part of the evaluation of whether a proposed withdrawal or consumptive use is reasonable as provided in Section 4.11.5 of the compact.

(D) The chief shall not submit an application for a withdrawal and consumptive use permit for regional review under Section 4.5.2(c)(ii) of the compact to the regional body as defined in Section 1.2 of the compact unless regional review is agreed to by the applicant.

(E) Nothing in sections 1522.10 to 1522.30 of the Revised Code shall be construed to affect, limit, diminish, or impair any rights validly established and existing under the laws of this state as of December 8, 2008, including, but not limited to, sections 1506.10 and 1521.17 of the Revised Code, or to limit a person's right to the reasonable use of ground water, water in a lake, or any other watercourse in contravention of Section 19b of Article I, Ohio Constitution.

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.

Added by 129th General AssemblyFile No.108, HB 473, §1, eff. 9/4/2012.