The purpose of this chapter is to establish guidelines, criteria, and procedures for the designation of groundwater management areas, subareas or zones and to set forth a process for the development of groundwater management programs for such areas, subareas, or zones, in order to protect groundwater quality, to assure groundwater quantity, and to provide for efficient management of water resources for meeting future needs while recognizing existing water rights. The intent of this chapter is to forge a partnership between a diversity of local, state, tribal and federal interests in cooperatively protecting the state's groundwater resources.