(1) On March 1, 1969, the department of water resources promulgated WAC 508-14-010 to curtail further groundwater development in a defined area of the Columbia Basin, referred to as the "Quincy Basin," pending the outcome of detailed groundwater investigations to determine if further appropriation of public groundwaters in this area should be allowed.

(2) The extensive investigation program was to be completed no later than December 31, 1972, and thereafter procedures would be developed to insure proper allocation and management of the Quincy Basin groundwater resource.

(3) Since the effective date of WAC 508-14-010, all applications to appropriate groundwater in the defined Quincy Basin have been held in abeyance pending the outcome of the groundwater investigations.

(4) As part of the investigation program a digital groundwater model has been developed to analyze groundwater conditions in most of the Columbia Basin including the Quincy Basin.

(5) Through use of this groundwater model it has been possible to define with reasonable accuracy the extent of a practical groundwater management unit in the Quincy Basin area.

The purpose of this regulation is to establish areal boundaries and depth zones for the Quincy groundwater subarea as the initial step toward development of a proper groundwater management program for this part of the Columbia Basin.

This regulation is promulgated by the department of ecology under authority and procedures provided in chapters 43.21A, 90.03, and 90.44 RCW and after giving notice as provided in chapter 34.04 RCW.

"Quincy groundwater subarea" shall mean those lands lying within the Columbia Basin described as follows:

(1) "Quincy unconsolidated zone" shall mean those rock units in the Quincy groundwater subarea lying between ground surface and the top of the uppermost basalt flow.

(2) "Quincy basalt zone" shall mean those rock units in the Quincy groundwater subarea consisting of basalt flows of tertiary age.

"Quincy groundwater subarea" shall include those lands that lie within the heavy outline shown on the following map:

The Quincy unconsolidated zone and the Quincy basalt zone, defined at WAC 173-124-050, are separate and distinct depth zones, as that term is used in chapter 90.44 RCW. The Quincy unconsolidated zone and the Quincy basalt zone are different than the Quincy shallow management unit and the Quincy deep management unit, which are defined at WAC 173-134-020.

The horizontal boundaries of the Quincy depth zones and the Quincy management units are identical to the exterior boundaries of the Quincy groundwater subarea, and no Quincy depth zone or management unit extends beyond those boundaries, for comprehensive water management purposes. Neither does any depth zone of the Odessa groundwater subarea, as defined at chapter 173-130 WAC, extend beyond the exterior boundaries of the Odessa groundwater subarea, as those are defined and indicated at chapter 173-128 WAC. The bodies of groundwater contained within the exterior boundaries of the Quincy groundwater subarea are considered to be separate and distinct from the bodies of groundwater contained within the exterior boundaries of the Odessa groundwater subarea, which is significantly different than the Quincy groundwater subarea in various respects.

This regulation is adopted to clarify the differences between the Quincy groundwater subarea and the Odessa groundwater subarea, and the differences among depth zones and management units. This regulation merely restates what the department of ecology consistently has understood to be the meaning and effect of this chapter and related chapters, notwithstanding any other understanding by the public or any other agency or board, federal or state.

The department of ecology shall initiate a review of the rules established in this chapter whenever new information, changing conditions, or statutory modifications make it necessary to consider revisions.