DEQ administers the VWP Permit program, which regulates activities that disturb wetlands or streams, following state regulations and federal Clean Water Act guidelines. State law requires that a VWP Permit be obtained before disturbing a wetland or stream by clearing, filling, excavating, draining, or ditching.

• View the application requirements for a VWP Permit (9VAC25-210-80)

The Joint Permit Application (JPA) process is used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), DEQ, and Local Wetlands Boards for project permitting involving water, wetlands, and dune/beach resources, including water supply and water withdrawal projects. Applications for a DEQ-issued VWP Permit can be made through the JPA process.

DEQ received a JPA for Google’s Project Raspberry data center campus on Jan. 21, 2026, which included a VWP Permit Application. The application is currently under DEQ’s review in accordance with 9VAC25-210-10 et seq.

Google’s application for Project Raspberry indicates that unnamed tributaries to Tinker Creek and to Rulman Branch would be affected by the proposed data center campus. Proposed permanent impacts to surface waters include a total of:

• 3.24 acres of nontidal wetlands, including:
  • 1.87 acres of palustrine forested wetlands
  • 1.33 acres of palustrine emergent wetlands
  • 0.04 acres of palustrine unconsolidated bottom

• 6,715 linear feet of stream channel, including:
  • 1,800 linear feet of perennial stream
  • 3,905 linear feet of intermittent stream
  • 1,010 linear feet of ephemeral stream channel

Virginia regulations require compensatory mitigation resulting in no net loss of existing wetland acreage, and no net loss of functions in all surface waters. The Project Raspberry application states that the proposed compensation for the permanent impacts listed above could include the purchase of wetland credits and stream credits. However, the applicant determined that wetland credits are not available within the Upper Roanoke watershed (HUC 03010101) where the project is located, and that available stream credits are limited. Instead, Google intends to pursue Permittee Responsible Mitigation (PRM) to meet Virginia’s compensatory mitigation requirements. A PRM plan is under development and will be submitted to DEQ.

• Use DEQ's Permitting Enhancement & Evaluation Platform (PEEP) tool to view the status and target timeframe for Project Raspberry’s VWP Permit application.
  • Under the 'Facility Name' field, select 'Project Raspberry' and click 'Apply.'

• Click the 'Project Documents' tab on this webpage to view documents related to DEQ's review of Project Raspberry’s VWP Permit application.

• Send questions or inquiries about Project Raspberry’s VWP Permit application to DEQ via email at:  Shawn.Crist@deq.virginia.gov

• View all JPA documents and attachments on VMRC’s website.

DEQ’s Minor NSR Permit program applies to the construction of any new stationary source or any project that will emit regulated air pollutants above the exemption thresholds listed in 9VAC5-80-1105 C or D of state regulations, or that will require a permit via 9VAC5-80-1105 E or F. A source is considered ‘minor’ if it emits:

• Less than 100 tons per year of any criteria pollutant (particulate matter/PM, PM₁₀, PM_2.5, carbon monoxide/CO, nitrogen oxides/NO_x, sulfur dioxide/SO₂, and volatile organic compounds/VOC);
• Less than 10 tons/year of a single Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs); and
• Less than 25 tons/year of total HAPs.

Minor NSR permits issued by DEQ do not expire and remain in effect until the constructed facility or emissions unit is permanently shut down.

On May 13, 2026, Helio Capital LLC applied to DEQ for a Minor NSR Permit for the Project Raspberry data center campus. This permit is currently under review. As proposed, Project Raspberry would include three data center buildings, each supported by emergency ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) fired engine-generator sets (EGs) and cooling towers. Several other EGs and fire pumps would also be a part of the project, serving as auxiliary support to the data center campus. Air emission sources for Project Raspberry would include:

• 114 identical critical Caterpillar 3516E EGs (38 per building), each rated at 2,750 electrical kilowatts (kWe) and powered by a Tier 2-certified 4,043 brake horsepower (bhp) engine
• Six identical critical Caterpillar 3512C EGs (2 per building), each rated at 1,750 kWe and powered by a Tier 2-certified 2,584 bhp engine
• Two emergency diesel fire pumps, each powered by a Tier 3-certified <750 bhp engine
• One 1,000 kWe EG Booster Pump, powered by a Tier 2-certified <1,500 bhp engine
• One 1,000 kWe EG supporting the HUB, powered by a Tier 2-certified 1,500 engine bhp
• One <560 kWe EG supporting the Site Entrance Booth, powered by a Tier 3-certified <750 bhp engine
• 48 cooling towers (16 per building), each with a maximum circulation rate of 6,000 gallons per minute

The applicant proposes an annual limit of 3,617 hours of operation per 12-month rolling period for all 120 EGs combined (i.e., 114-2,750 kWe and 6-1,750 kWe EGs). Annual individual limits of 100 hours of operation per 12-month rolling period are proposed for each of the remaining EGs and fire pumps. Helio Capital LLC also requests the ability to operate all EGs with ULSD or renewable diesel fuels such as Hydrotreated Vegetable Oils (HVO).

According to the application, the proposed Project Raspberry data center campus would emit:

• 99.39 tons/year of nitrogen oxides (NO_x)
• 6.34 tons/year of particulate matter (PM, PM₁₀, PM_2.5)
  • PM emissions factor includes both filterable and condensable PM. It conservatively assumed that PM = PM₁₀ = PM_2.5.
• 20.56 tons/year of carbon monoxide (CO)
• 1.79 tons/year of volatile organic compounds (VOC)
• 0.09 tons/year of sulfur dioxide (SO₂)
• 0.04 tons/year of Maximum Individual Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP)
  • Benzene
• 0.08 tons/year of Total HAP

View Project Raspberry’s Minor NSR Permit application materials and DEQ's correspondences with the applicant under the 'Project Documents' dropdown tab on this webpage.

Track Project Raspberry’s Minor NSR Permit application:

• DEQ’s Permitting Enhancement and Evaluation Platform (PEEP)
  • Under ‘Request Number,’ select ‘21819-1’ and click ‘Apply'

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) 

The Joint Permit Application (JPA) process is used by the Norfolk District USACE, Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), DEQ, and Local Wetlands Boards for project permitting involving water, wetlands, dune/beach resources, including water supply and water withdrawals. The Norfolk District of the USACE received JPA No. 25-1919 for Project Raspberry to evaluate the project under Section 404 of the U.S. Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. § 1344).

A wetland delineation of the 343.61-acre Project Raspberry study area was conducted in June 2025. Following this delineation, the USACE issued a Preliminary Jurisdictional Determination letter to Google on Dec. 16, 2025 (NAO-2025-1857). A copy of both the wetland delineation and the USACE’s Preliminary Jurisdiction Determination are included in Project Raspberry’s JPA.

The Norfolk District USACE issued Public Notice NAO-2025-01857 for Project Raspberry’s JPA on March 10, 2026, with the purpose of soliciting comments from the public, stakeholders, and other interested entities. The USACE’s public comment period for the JPA ended on April 9, 2026.

Botetourt County, VA

Many localities in Virginia administer a Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Program (VESMP) “for the effective control of soil erosion and sediment deposition and the management of the quality and quantity of runoff resulting from land-disturbing activities to prevent the unreasonable degradation of properties, stream channels, waters, and other natural resources” (9VAC25-875-20). Under a local VESMP, stormwater management plans, Construction General Permit (CGP) registration statements, permit modifications, etc., are submitted to the local VESMP authority where the land-disturbing activity occurs.

Project Raspberry is proposed to be located in Daleville, in Botetourt County, Virginia. Botetourt County is a VESMP authority, and is responsible for the administration, plan review, inspection, and enforcement components of the VESMP within the County.

More information:

• Botetourt County's stormwater plan submittal policy and procedures 
• Botetourt County’s stormwater management programs
• Botetourt County’s erosion and sediment control program
• Botetourt County’s project-specific webpage 

Western Virginia Water Authority (WVWA)

On Sept. 10, 2025, WVWA’s Board of Directors authorized agreements supporting water supply planning and infrastructure for the region. According to the WVWA’s project-specific webpage for the Google data center campus, their "Water Supply & Infrastructure Planning Agreement" enables the WVWA “to study and develop new water supply sources to meet the growing needs of the County and surrounding region,” and their "Utility Services Funding Agreement" with Google enables the WVWA “to develop new, efficient, and sustainable water infrastructure solutions.”