As Virginians, there is water all around us.  Whether you live near the coast, the piedmont, or among the mountains and valleys, water is never far.  To the east lies the expansive Chesapeake Bay, fed by rivers like the James and the Potomac, and under our feet, much of the eastern part of the state enjoys one of the most historically productive groundwater aquifer systems in the country.  However, these bountiful resources can be put at risk without proactive planning and management. Historic droughts, as experienced in 2001-2002, and over use of coastal groundwater, demonstrate how this can happen. 

The Water Supply Planning (WSP) program was created after the 2001-2002 drought. Its goal is to ensure adequate and safe drinking water is available to all Virginians, while encouraging, promoting, and protecting aquatic life, recreation, and other beneficial uses.  Water supply planning process is a long-term collaborative effort involving a variety of state and local stakeholders. Localities take the lead role in identifying the needs of their communities and DEQ provides technical analysis and oversight.

 

Water Supply Plans

The Local and Regional Water Supply Planning regulation (9VAC25-780) requires all localities in Virginia to submit a water supply plan (Plan), either individually, or as part of a regional planning unit. Plans include key information on what water sources a locality uses and how much water they currently use. The Plans include projections for when future water will be needed and how much will be needed for a variety of categories of water uses. Localities must also evaluate the adequacy of their current water supplies and identify where they can find more water where current supplies may be inadequate in the future. Drought Response and Contingency Plans with ways to reduce overall water use during drought must also be included.  

Plans are evaluated at least every five years and revised as needed and all Plans must be reviewed, revised, and resubmitted to DEQ every 10 years.   

DEQ compiles the information included in each Plan, as well as the water reported water withdrawals collected through the Annual Withdrawal Reporting and the Water Withdrawal Permitting Programs to create a model used to evaluate the sustainability of our water resources.  The results of this collective analysis are published in the State Water Resources Plan.

 

Changes to the Local and Regional Water Supply Planning Regulation? 

 In 2020, the Virginia General Assembly passed House Bill 542, which directs the State Water Control Board to develop regulations designating regional planning areas based primarily on river basins. DEQ has initiated the process to publish a Notice of Intended Regulatory Action (NOIRA) that will result in a public comment period in 2021.  A full Regulatory Advisory Panel (RAP) will be convened to solicit stakeholder input on changes to the regulation.  This page will be updated once more information is available.

Want to learn more?

 For questions related to Water Supply Planning, contact Ryan Green, (804) 698-4258