Sec. 18. (a) As used in this section, “authority” refers to the Indiana finance authority established by IC 5-1.2-3.

     (b) As used in this section, “quality assurance review” means a process of reviewing and verifying water resources data with the goal of assuring the reliability of the data. The term includes the application of certain objectives, principles, and policies already in use at the Indiana geological and water survey in maintaining consistency in water resources data and accountability to the scientific community and general public.

     (c) The authority shall perform a quality assurance review of the water resources data compiled from the reports submitted by owners of significant water withdrawal facilities under:

(1) section 15 of this chapter; and

(2) IC 13-2-6.1-1 and IC 13-2-6.1-7 (before their repeal);

beginning with the reports submitted for the 1985 calendar year.

     (d) The authority may enter into contracts with one (1) or more professionals or state educational institutions under which the professionals or state educational institutions will perform some or all of the duties imposed on the authority by this section. The authority may compensate the professionals or state educational institutions for work performed under this section with:

(1) money from the drinking water revolving loan fund established by IC 5-1.2-10-3; or

(2) any other funds appropriated to the authority.

     (e) In performing the quality assurance review required by this section, the authority shall use the water resources data in a manner that:

(1) protects the confidential information of owners of significant water withdrawal facilities; and

(2) is consistent with IC 5-14-3-4.

     (f) The authority shall present the results of the quality assurance review performed under this section, as those results become available, to the water rights and use section of the department’s division of water. The water rights and use section shall maintain the results in the data base of data extracted from reports submitted by owners of significant water withdrawal facilities under section 15 of this chapter (and IC 13-2-6.1-1 and IC 13-2-6.1-7 before their repeal).

As added by P.L.102-2016, SEC.3. Amended by P.L.233-2017, SEC.25; P.L.189-2018, SEC.137.