Upon the request of an applicant for a permit to appropriate water for use outside a protected area, a county of origin shall cooperate with the applicant in estimating the amount of water that may be purchased within the county pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1217 and that may be developed or used within the county impacting the proposed project, including an estimated time schedule.

The purpose of this section is to assist the applicant in planning the export project and to assist the counties of origin in their water planning.