The director of ecology may create within his or her department a fund to be known as the "basic data fund."
Into such fund shall be deposited all moneys contributed by persons for streamflow, groundwater and water quality data or other hydrographic information furnished by the department in cooperation with the United States geological survey, and the fund shall be expended on a matching basis with the United States geological survey for the purpose of obtaining additional basic information needed for an intelligent inventory of water resources in the state.
Disbursements from the basic data fund shall be on vouchers approved by the department and the district engineer of the United States geological survey.