DEQ study warns of groundwater limits

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has released a study revealing that Suffolk and the broader southeastern Hampton Roads region have minimal capacity for significant new groundwater withdrawals. This finding carries substantial implications for the future development of water-intensive projects, such as data centers, in the area. According to the DEQ, the Virginia Coastal Plain aquifer system cannot support major new withdrawals in many areas east of Interstate 95 under current conditions, with the Southeast Virginia region already accounting for nearly 43% of all reported groundwater withdrawals within the study's model in 2024.

The study emerges as Suffolk city officials are actively debating how to regulate data centers. The Suffolk City Council, in June, unanimously voted to direct the Planning Commission to draft an ordinance that would temporarily prohibit data centers across all zoning districts while more permanent regulations are formulated. The DEQ's findings on water availability are now expected to be a critical component of these discussions, influencing future industrial growth policies. The DEQ's modeling demonstrated that even a moderate industrial withdrawal of 3 million gallons per day would not meet state permit requirements, with a test well in Chesapeake indicating a maximum sustainable withdrawal of only 120,000 gallons per day with widespread aquifer impact.

While the report doesn't explicitly halt data center development in Suffolk, it strongly suggests that facilities relying on large new groundwater withdrawals from local aquifers would face severe limitations. The DEQ indicated that data centers could instead utilize public water supplies, reclaimed water, or closed-loop cooling systems. The study also highlighted the historical impact of major withdrawals on the Potomac aquifer, which supplies much of Eastern Virginia, and noted that while projects like the Hampton Roads Sanitation District's SWIFT recharge facility in Suffolk are planned to inject treated wastewater to replenish aquifers, these gains could be temporary if injections cease. The DEQ recommended that it be given clearer authority to reject or reduce withdrawal permits when alternatives exist and that localities consider groundwater availability in their growth planning.