Virginia senators request special session to act on 'deeply alarming' groundwater report
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality released a report highlighting significant strain on eastern Virginia's groundwater supply, risking clean drinking water. Senators Russet Perry and Richard Stuart are urging Governor Abigail Spanberger to convene a special session to address these findings and enact policies to manage water use. The report also suggests that data centers with evaporative cooling systems would likely struggle to find sufficient groundwater.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has released a 117-page legislative report on the state's groundwater supply east of Interstate 95, revealing significant strain on eastern aquifers and a risk to clean drinking water. The report states that groundwater supply is constrained, with declining availability projected, making it unlikely the aquifers could support new major industrial water withdrawals without risking supply and increasing saltwater intrusion.
Following the report's release, State Sens. Russet Perry (D-Loudoun) and Richard Stuart (R-King George) sent a letter to Governor Abigail Spanberger, requesting a special session to consider and pass policies to curb water use in the Virginia Coastal Plain aquifer system. The senators criticized the DEQ for withholding the report until July, months after the legislative session concluded, suggesting its earlier release could have altered legislative and budget decisions. The report provides specific recommendations for lawmakers.
Key recommendations include updating the 1992 Groundwater Management Act to codify DEQ's authority to deny groundwater withdrawal permit applications if they would lower aquifer levels beyond a threshold. It also suggests mandating that localities' comprehensive plans limit growth based on groundwater availability. The report specifically analyzed data centers' impact, noting that while many use surface water, sufficient data is lacking, and it's