1 Water Resources Management - DEQ’s Role in Water Supply - State Water Commission October 1, 2002

2 DEQ Programs & Activities Water Resource Data Collection Virginia Water Protection Permits Ground Water Management Act Surface Water Management Act Water Resource Plans (1984) Executive Order 33 (2002)

3 Water Resource Data Collection 384 Stream gauging stations (DEQ & USGS) –165 continuous recording stations (67 DEQ & 98 USGS) –230 miscellaneous sites –real-time at 125 gages (32 DEQ & 93 USGS) ( 267 ground water level collection sites (183 DEQ & 84 USGS) Annual Reports from people withdrawing surface and ground water (1982-present) –Withdrawals with average daily > 10,000 gal /day in any month – Ag. Irrigation withdrawals > 1MG in any month

4 Water Resource Data excludes any withdrawal less than reporting thresholds 1.38 billion gallons per day withdrawn –87% from surface water –11% from ground water –excludes power generation use (non consumptive) –non-reporting withdrawals are generally from ground waters ources

5 Withdrawals, Source: DEQ 2000 Status of Virginia’s Water Resources (report to Governor Gilmore & General Assembly)

6 Top 15 Withdrawers Source: DEQ 2001 Status of Virginia’s Water Resources (report to Governor Gilmore & General Assembly)

7 Use Categories

8 Use Categories Excluding Power Generation Source: DEQ 2001 Status of Virginia’s Water Resources (report to Governor Gilmore & General Assembly)

9 Virginia Water Protection Permits Required for surface water withdrawals –Limited to activities requiring federal permits –Reservoirs, power generation facilities, new intake pipes for industrial and municipal withdrawals Establish minimum instream flow volumes that must be maintained –Considers needs for fish & wildlife habitat, waste assimilation capacity, recreation, navigation

10 Ground Water Management Act Permits required for withdrawals in Ground Water Management Areas –Eastern Virginia GWMA –Eastern Shore GWMA Permits required for all withdrawals over 300,000 gallons per month Permits designed to protect existing uses Permits require water conservation and management plans

11 Surface Water Management Act Requires reductions in withdrawals during periods of low flow –Reductions can be imposed through permits or voluntary agreement Applies only in declared Surface Water Management Areas Declaration of James River Surface Water Management Area is pending –Proposed voluntary agreement was developed by Richmond and Henrico –Proposed trigger would be 30% of mean annual flow

12 Water Supply Plans (1984) Regional plans prepared in accordance with –Inventory of existing community public water supply systems and the safe yield of those systems –Projections for future needs of public water supplies –Options and cost estimates for infrastructure needed to meet those demands –Did not include self-supplied water users (ie, individual domestic wells or industrial users) –Did not establish preferences between alternatives

13 Executive Order 33 (2002) E. Authorize the Director of the Department of Environmental Quality to allocate ground water and surface water resources and to restrict any withdrawals bas4ed upon the adequacy of the resource to meet the necessary beneficial uses as set forth in section Such allocations may apply to any withdrawer and shall over-ride any existing authorization to use or withdraw surface water or ground water.