Water Supply Planning Program
What's New?
DATA MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP RESCHEDULED: The DEQ Office of Water Supply Planning will hold a Workshop on Monday, June 16, 2008 to discuss implementation of certain elements of the required local or regional water supply plan. We would like to have your input on issues and items of interest that you would like to see included in this or future workshops. Please identify what top 3 to 5 topics that you would like clarification on in one of these workshops. Depending on the topics, we may schedule some targeted regional meetings over the summer in addition to the biannual workshops. Examples of potential topics for additional workshops this Summer and Fall could include: How to address rural systems; Well related questions; Drought Contingency Planning; Existing Resource Data (TMDL, soils, species, etc.); How to fill out the workbook forms/Phase I data collection (regional office); and the WaterSense Challenge. Please submit your ideas and suggestions to Scott Kudlas at scott.kudlas@deq.virginia.gov or to your regional water supply planner as soon as possible so that they can be considered for the June workshop agenda. The workshop will be held in Charlottesville at the Department of Forestry Training Room/ Please note that we will be organizing the workshop differently from the previous workshops and intend to use the workshop as a "working session". Once we get your feed-back on the issues that you would like to see addressed, we will put together an agenda and set the times for the workshop. Check this site for future updates.
EPA WaterSense Program: Join DEQ and become a WaterSense partner, by filling out a Partnership Agreement and Promotional Plan Checklist. More information about the WaterSense program can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/watersense/
Request for Funds Form Now Available for WSP Grantees: A fill-in-the-blank spreadsheet version of the WSP Grantee "Request for Funds" is now available.
County Ground Water Reports Now Available: Over the years, ground water reports were developed for a number of counties in Virginia. These reports have now been scanned by the Office of Ground Water Characterization staff and are available at: http://www.deq.virginia.gov/gwcharacterization/pubsdocs.html.
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING FY 2009 GRANT PROGRAM: The state budget shortfall has put the FY 2009 Grant Program in doubt. While it is clear that the shortfall will impact the program, it is not clear if grant funds will be unavailable for all of FY 2009. Potential grantees are advised to continue to monitor this web site and to maintain regular contact with your assigned Regional Water Supply Planner as grant funds could become available after General Assembly budget negotiations conclude.
SOURCE WATER PROTECTION INFORMATION RESOURCE: The Source Water Collaborative (SWC) is launching a campaign entitled, "Your Water. Your Decision." to help local decision-makers take advantage of opportunities to protect sources of drinking water, understand the costs involved, and considerr ways to pay for it. The SWC, a group of 16 national organizations and three federal agencies including EPA, was formed with the joint signing of a vision statement in February 2006 to further the goal of protecting sources of drinking water. As part of this initiative, the SWC has developed a guide for community leaders and a toolkit for using the guide. The "Your Water. Your Decision." guide is intended as a quick source of key information on local options for protecting drinking water, including development, stewardship, and budgeting. Using the theme, "how you govern can determine what you drink," the guide was developed as a tool to enable local officials to take action within their communities and with neighboring communities. The local officials guide and more information on the "Your Water. Your Decision." Campaign can be found at: http://www.protectingdrinkingwater.org.
Water Sense Kids Section: Recently, EPA posted the colorful WaterSense Kids section, an interactive educational resource on water efficiency. This section of the site includes a quick link to the kids' version of the Test Your WaterSense Quiz, information on why it is important to save water, and simple things that can be done to use less water, along with a link for parents on where to find WaterSense labeled products. This section is a great learning tool for childrenand we encourage partners to link to it from their Web sites.
U.S. Drought Portal - National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)
Water Efficiency - EPA's WaterSense Program - High-Efficiency Water Use Products and Irrigation Control Technologies
Sample Water Supply Planning Grant Deliverable Checklist
Data Entry Template - Existing Water Source and Water Use Data
Drought Condition Links and Information - DEQ Drought Monitoring Web Page
DEQ announces water supply grants for localities for FY 2008.
Links to Virginia Local Government Websites
Customized Water Use Data Sets available upon request. Please contact Ed Morrow at 804.698.4487 or by email at edward.morrow@deq.virginia.gov to request a specific Water Use Data Set for your locality.
Latest Program Status
No Local or Regional Water Supply Plans have been received for review.
The Code of Virginia, as amended by Senate Bill 1221 in 2003 (Section 62.1-44.38:1) requires the development of a comprehensive statewide water supply planning process to (1) ensure that adequate and safe drinking water is available to all citizens of the Commonwealth, (2) encourage, promote, and protect all other beneficial uses of the Commonwealth's water resources, and (3) encourage, promote, and develop incentives for alternative water sources, including but not limited to desalinization. In addition the amended Code Section provides that local or regional water supply plans shall be prepared and submitted to the Department of Environmental Quality in accordance with criteria and guidelines developed by the Board. Such criteria and guidelines shall take into account existing local and regional water supply planning efforts and requirements imposed under other state or federal laws. The Local and Regional Water Supply Planning Regulation (9 VAC 25-780) was developed to implement the mandates of this section of the Code.
The Code of Virginia was futher amended by House Bill 552 in 2006 (Section 62.1-44-38:1) which clarified the requirements of the Code by providing that the criteria and guidelines established by the Board shall not prohibit a town from entering into a regional water supply plan with an adjacent county.
This regulation establishes the planning process and criteria that all local governments are to use in the development of local or regional water supply plans. The regulation also established a schedule for submittal of those plans.
Local Water Supply Plans are due by:
- November 2008 for Local Governments with Populations in Excess of 35,000
- November 2009 for Local Governments with Populations in Excess of 15,000 but No More Than 35,000
- November 2010 for Local Governments with Populations Less Than or Equal to 15,000
- Deadlines for Towns Based on 2000 Census Population Estimates
- November 2011 for Regional Water Supply Plans
Local Governments electing to participate in the submittal of Regional Water Supply Plans must notify DEQ of the intent to participate in a Regional Plan by November 2008. Regional Water Supply Plans are water plans developed and submitted by two or more cities or counties or both. A town and an adjacent county may develop a regional water plan. Two or more towns may develop and submit a regional water plan where the plan results in the proposed development of future water supply projects that supply the water supply demands of the affected towns. Such plans developed by two or more towns mat be included in regional water plans developed and submitted by counties or cities. Regional water plans shall be developed and submitted in conjunction with all public service authorities operating community water systems within the regional planning unit, if applicable.
This web site is being provided as part of the State's role in program development and preparation to facilitate acquisition of resource information (9 VAC 25-780-60).