A. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board shall appoint an Executive Director, who shall have had at least six (6) years practical and administrative experience in water resource management and fix his or her duties and compensation. The Board is specifically authorized to delegate to such Executive Director such of its powers and duties as it may deem proper, including powers and duties involving the exercise of official discretion. The authority hereby granted to the Board to delegate powers and duties to the Executive Director shall extend to any powers and duties given or transferred to the Board under this title, or under any other law conferring powers or imposing duties upon the Board, and shall also extend to any powers conferred or duties imposed upon the Board by any future law, unless any law expressly negates the authority to make such delegation. Any other part of this title, or any other law granting authority to the Board to delegate any powers or duties, shall not be deemed to be a limitation upon the authority conferred by this section. The Executive Director shall exercise any such delegated powers and perform such delegated duties, in accordance with any rules, regulations or orders made by the Board which are applicable thereto. Provided, however, the Board shall not delegate to such director any power of determining policy, the execution of any contract or the final adjudication of any claims, applications or controversies, all of which powers and duties shall be exercised solely by the Board.

B. In addition to the powers and duties specified in subsection A of this section, the Executive Director shall have the power and duty to issue temporary permits and regular permits excluding all permits from sensitive sole source aquifers that meet all the requirements of Titles 27A and 82 of the Oklahoma Statutes and other considerations required by law and that have not been the subject of a protest from an interested party.