Expanding the Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Area

Office of Water Supply

Establishing a Groundwater Management Area

• Protects existing users from new or expanding withdrawals. 

• Assures continued resource viability into the future.

• Manages the resource comprehensively.  

Designating (or Expanding) a Groundwater Management Area

Criteria

• Groundwater levels in the area are declining or are expected to decline excessively;

• The wells of two or more groundwater users within the area are interfering or may reasonably be expected to interfere substantially with one another;

• The available groundwater supply has been or may be overdrawn; or

• The groundwater in the area has been or may become polluted.

Groundwater levels in the area are declining or are expected to decline excessively

Regulatory Actions

Two Proposed Actions: 1) Expanding the area 2) Comprehensive review.

• NOIRA – July 2009• Advisory Committee – 2009-2010• Sent for Executive Review – Sept 2010• Completed Executive Review – Sept 2012• Actions Approved by SWCB – June 2013• Governor’s Review Completed - Sept/Oct 2013

Regulations became Effective January 1, 2014

NEW: Localities added by the Expansion of the Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Area:

Counties:Caroline Essex

Gloucester King George

King and Queen Lancaster

Mathews Middlesex

Northumberland Richmond

Westmoreland

* Only those portions east of I-95 are included for*

Stafford Fairfax

Prince William Spotsylvania

Does this Affect Me?

What is the W

ithdrawal threshold for

needing a permit?

When are the permit applications due?

How complicated is the groundwater permitting application process?

Do I need a consultant?

Miti

gatio

n

Water Conservation & Management Plan

Who Needs a Permit?

ANY user in a GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT AREA whose ground water withdrawals exceed 300,000 gallons in a month

300,000 gallons equates to:• Approximately 1” of irrigation applied

over 11 acres

Or

• Operation of a well with a 125-gpm yield for 40 hours

Existing Users Is an existing user “Grandfathered”?

The regulations allow for an existing user to apply for a permit based on historic use for the first 10 year permit term.

This initial permit application is less burdensome and is less expensive to acquire.

The application must be complete and received by DEQ within 6 months of the Regulatory effective date.

Existing Users Application

• Information required for application:– Water Use Reporting values or estimated use– Well construction information (archival)– VDH Waterworks Operation Permit if a PWSNot required for application:

• Initial aquifer tests or well studies• Conservation & Management or Mitigation Plans• Pre-application meeting• Technical evaluation (modeling) is not required for

issuance of the permit.

New or Expanded Users ApplicationInformation / tasks required for complete application:

– Water Use Reporting values or estimated use for – Completes well construction information for all wells– VDH Waterworks Operation Permit if a PWS– Geophysical Investigations (ex: aquifer test, pump test,

camera survey etc) – Water Conservation & Management Plan– Mitigation Plan – (if applicable)– Local Governing Body Approval– Alternatives Analysis– Justification of Future Need– Install water Meters– Technical Evaluation (Modeling) IS required during the

evaluation.

All Permits

All permits may contain conditions that:• Specifies limits on withdrawals

– Annual, monthly, source aquifer and location

• Require Geophysical Investigations (ex: aquifer test, pump test, camera survey etc)

• Require installation of water meters • Reporting of withdrawal and water quality data• Development of Water Conservation & Management Plan• Development of a Mitigation Plan • Require installation of Monitoring wells

Necessary Well Construction Documentation

Well Completion Report and GW-2 Form

Depth of wellThe diameter, top and bottom, and material of each case intervalThe diameter, top and bottom, for each screened intervalThe depth of pump intake

Special Conditions

Permits will include various conditions that assist in future permitting actions and to help manage future costs, time and resources for applicants.

How long is a permit term?

All Groundwater Permits have a maximum

10 year term

How much will it cost me to get a permit?Type of Groundwater Permit Issuance/Reissuance Modification

Agricultural Withdrawals No Fee No Fee

Historic Permits (Initial permit for an existing withdrawal based solely on historic withdrawals)

$1,200.00 $600.00

New or Expanded Groundwater Withdrawal Permits $6,000.00 $3,000.00

What dates do I need to be worried about?

January 1, 2014 was the effective date for the New Groundwater Management Areas and Groundwater Withdrawal Regulations and therefore, “COMPLETE” applications are due

June 30, 2014

Who may need a permit inMPPDC?

To ensure that all users have do notice and the opportunity to apply for an Existing Users Permit, DEQ staff have created list by using the following DEQ and Virginia Department of Health (VDH) databases.

• DEQ - Virginia Water Use Data System (VWUDS)• VDH – State Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS)• VDH – R&R Database (R&R)

• All Facilities whom have reported 300,000 gallons per month (gpm) or more in any month in the previous 10 years under the Water Withdrawal Reporting Regulations.

• All systems regulated in the Virginia Waterworks Regulations with an average operational flow rate/design flow rate of 10,000 gallons per day/gpd (10,000 gpd x 30 days per month = 300,000 gpm).

• SDWIS online systems serving >15 persons providing short term living or substantial domestic water use (campgrounds, hotels, apartments, marinas, mobile home communities, and institutions).

Query Criteria

Filtering criteria -Facilities removed from the combined list:• If counties/cities or towns were West of I-95 (based on filter equal or

less than -77.5181 [-77h 31m 5.3 s] Long value, as per Google Earth's approximate furthermost location of I-95 to the west; visual inspection of coordinates and CFO verification)

• If the design flow rate would not allow the system to reach the threshold of 300,000 gal/month (based on a value of 9,677.4193 gal/day multiplied by 31 days per month --critical case), unless VWUDS data indicated the user met the threshold through methods such as contiguous sources.

• The user reported a max monthly withdrawal to VDH 10,000 gpd (or <300,000 gpm), unless VWUDS

Filtering criteria

County/ CityIndustrial / Commercial

Public Water Supply AgriculturalTotal

Caroline4 29 1 34

Essex15 15

Fairfax10 9 1 20

Fairfax City1 0 1

Gloucester0 20 0 20

King & Queen7 1 8

King George0 32 0 32

Lancaster1 34 0 35

Mathews19 19

Middlesex36 36

Northumberland3 58 1 62

Prince William5 3 1 9

Richmond County1 13 0 14

Spotsylvania0 1 1 2

Stafford1 7 0 8

Westmoreland0 45 3 48

Total26 328 9 363

Table 1: Summary of potential applicants in expansion area

Existing Users Pre-Application Workshops

Date Place Time

Feb 13, 2014Rappahannock Comm. College

Glenns Campus12745 College DriveGlenns, VA 23149

2:00 - 5:00 pm

March 5, 2014King George County County Board Room

10459 Courthouse DriveKing George, VA 22485

1:00 - 5:00 pm

March 10, 2014Rappahannock Comm. College

Glenns Campus12745 College DriveGlenns, VA 23149

3:30 - 6:00 pm

Permit Writers

Bhudeo Sinha

• Caroline

• Spotsylvania

• King William

Brenda Brown•Essex•Gloucester•King and Queen •Mathews •Middlesex •Richmond County

Erinn Tisdale•Fairfax•King George•Lancaster•Northumberland •Prince William •Stafford •Westmoreland

Brenda L. Brown(757) 518-2188

Brenda.brown@deq.virginia.gov

Craig R. Nicol Groundwater Withdrawal Permitting Program ManagerOffice of Water SupplyDepartment of Environmental QualityP.O. Box 1105Richmond, VA 23218804-698-4214craig.nicol@deq.virginia.govwww.deq.virginia.gov

Technical Evaluation Requirements

• Compare hydrogeologic framework• Compare water levels• Analyze aquifer pump tests• Run appropriate regional model• Determine Area of Impact (AOI)• Evaluate 80% drawdown criteria• Assess adverse water quality changes• Prepare maps• Submit report and files

Exclusions (9VAC25-610-50)

The following do not require a groundwater withdrawal permit:

1. Withdrawals of less than 300,000 gallons per month; 2. Withdrawals associated with temporary construction dewatering that do not exceed 24 months in duration; 3. Withdrawals associated with a state-approved groundwater remediation that do not exceed 60 months in

duration; 4. Withdrawals for use by a groundwater source heat pump where the discharge is reinjected into the aquifer

from which it was withdrawn; 5. Withdrawals from ponds recharged by groundwater without mechanical assistance; 6. Withdrawals for the purpose of conducting geophysical investigations, including pump tests; 7. Withdrawals coincident with exploration for and extraction of coal or activities associated with coal mining

regulated by the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy; 8. Withdrawals coincident with the exploration for or production of oil, gas or other minerals other than coal,

unless such withdrawal adversely impacts aquifer quantity or quality or other groundwater users within a groundwater management area;

9. Withdrawals in any area not declared to be a groundwater management area; 10. Withdrawal of groundwater authorized pursuant to a special exception issued by the board; and 11. Withdrawal of groundwater discharged from free flowing springs where the natural flow of the spring has

not been increased by any method.