Water Use Data

The Virginia Water Withdrawal Reporting Requirements (9 VAC 25-200-10, et seq.) require reporting for any withdrawal whose daily average withdrawal exceeds 10,000 gallons per day, with the exception of crop irrigation.  Reporting of crop irrigation applies to withdrawals exceeding one million gallons in any single month (except for ponds that collect from diffuse surface water unless they are dug ponds that intercept the groundwater table).

Water use data for withdrawers contains monthly and annual data and identifies the owner, source, source type and subtype, and category of use.  Source type is identified as Surface Water (SW); Ground Water (GW); or Transferred Water (TW).  Each type can be divided into subtypes.  SW can be either Reservoir (RE) or Stream (SR).  GW can be either Well (WE) or Spring (SP).  TW is Water sold or bought and is not a withdrawal.  Category is the intended use of the water.  Agricultural (AGR) withdrawals include the fish farms and hatcheries from around the Commonwealth.  Commercial (COM) withdrawals include golf courses, local and federal installations, hotels and laundromats.  Manufacturing (MAN) withdrawals include paper mills, food processors, drug companies, furniture and concrete companies.  Mining (MIN) withdrawals encompasses sand, rock and coal companies.  Public Water Supply (PWS) includes municipal and private water purveyors.  Hydroelectric power plants (PH), Fossil fuel power plants (PF) and Nuclear power plants (PN) are power generators that use surface water sources to cool the generators or pass through the turbines to produce the electrical power.  Irrigation (IRR) withdrawals are used to promote growth in such crops as tobacco, corn and soybeans, for example.  Monthly and annual data amounts are shown in million gallons (MG).  Annual/365 is the daily average and is shown in million gallons per day (MGD).

DEQ will provide customized Water Use Data Sets similar to the following, 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.  

An example of the the format and type of data available can be accessed at  Waynesboro Water System.