(1) The legislature finds that:
(a)  The water resources of the state are among the state’s most valuable natural resources;
(b)  Maintaining an ecologically sound and economically viable dairy industry in this state is vital to the Idaho economy;
(c)  Dairy environmental management systems that are constructed, operated and maintained in accordance with plans that are approved by the department of agriculture are an effective means of protecting the state’s water resources and providing valuable resources for crop production and other uses;
(d)  The department’s authority to review, approve and enforce dairy environmental management plans should be consistent and coordinated with the department of environmental quality’s authorities pursuant to title 39, Idaho Code, to protect state ground and surface waters and to obtain approval from the United States environmental protection agency to implement and administer an Idaho NPDES program governing the discharge of pollutants to the waters of the United States as defined in the federal clean water act;
(e)  The state should encourage and promote performance and innovation in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of dairy environmental management systems; and
(f)  Adequate funding from the legislature for the department of agriculture is necessary to meet the requirements and accomplish the purposes of this chapter.
(2)  Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to authorize the department of agriculture to review, approve and enforce dairy environmental management plans to ensure that dairy environmental management systems are constructed, operated and maintained in a manner that protects the natural resources of the state.