The board finds and declares:
(1) 
The groundwater underlying Lassen County has historically provided the people and lands of Lassen County with water for agricultural, domestic, municipal and other purposes.
(2) 
The board recognizes the principle developed in the case law of California that water may be appropriated from a groundwater basin if the groundwater supply is surplus and exceeds the reasonable and beneficial needs of overlying users.
(3) 
It is essential for the protection of the health, welfare, and safety of the residents of the county, and the public benefit of the state, that groundwater resources of Lassen County be protected from harm resulting from the extraction of groundwater for use outside the county.
(4) 
Much of the farm production of the county depends upon the use of groundwater to produce field and vegetable crops which significantly contribute to the gross value of all agricultural crops produced in the county.
(5) 
Much of the water supply for residential needs in the county is provided by groundwater.
(6) 
The groundwater of Lassen County is and will be a vital part of future water use in the county.
(7) 
The county seeks to foster prudent water management practices to avoid significant adverse overdraftrelated environmental, social, and economic impacts. It is therefore essential for the protection of the county's important groundwater resources that the county require a permit to extract groundwater for use outside the county. This chapter requires a permit for the export of groundwater outside the county and is not intended to regulate groundwater in any other way.
(8) 
In adopting the ordinance codified in this chapter, the county in no way intends to limit either the county or other public entities, including the Modoc-Lassen flood control district, in managing groundwater under the Groundwater Management Act, the Honey Lake Valley Groundwater Basin Act, the Long Valley Groundwater Basin Act, the Willow Creek Valley Groundwater Basin Act, the Surprise Valley Groundwater Basin Act, and any other applicable laws in a manner consistent with any groundwater management plan adopted by the county or the districts.
(Ord. 539 § 1, 1999)