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.
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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
Gloucester
King and Queen
Mathews
Northumberland
Westmoreland
Essex
King George
Lancaster
Middlesex
Richmond
* Only those portions east of I-95 are included for*
Stafford
Fairfax
Prince William
Spotsylvania
Does this Affect Me?
Water Conservation &
Management Plan
How complicated is the groundwater permitting application process?
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 PWS
Not required for application:
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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 Application
Information / tasks required for complete application:
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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 well
The diameter, top and bottom, and material of each case interval
The diameter, top and bottom, for each screened interval
The 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 in
MPPDC?
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)
Query Criteria
• 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).
Filtering 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
Industrial / Commercial
County/ City
Total
Public Water Supply
Agricultural
29
1
Caroline
4
Essex
15
34
15
Fairfax
10
9
1
20
0
1
20
0
20
7
1
8
0
32
0
32
1
34
0
35
Fairfax City
1
Gloucester
0
King & Queen
King George
Lancaster
Mathews
Middlesex
19
19
36
36
Northumberland
3
58
1
62
5
3
1
9
1
13
0
14
0
1
1
2
1
7
0
8
0
45
3
48
26
328
9
363
Prince William
Richmond County
Spotsylvania
Stafford
Westmoreland
Total
Table 1: Summary of potential applicants in expansion area
Existing Users Pre-Application
Workshops
Date
Feb 13, 2014
March 5, 2014
March 10, 2014
Place
Rappahannock Comm. College
Glenns Campus
12745 College Drive
Glenns, VA 23149
King George County
County Board Room
10459 Courthouse Drive
King George, VA 22485
Rappahannock Comm. College
Glenns Campus
12745 College Drive
Glenns, VA 23149
Time
2:00 - 5:00 pm
1:00 - 5:00 pm
3:30 - 6:00 pm
Permit Writers
Erinn Tisdale
•Fairfax
•King George
•Lancaster
•Northumberland
•Prince William
•Stafford
•Westmoreland
Brenda Brown
•Essex
•Gloucester
•King and Queen
•Mathews
•Middlesex
•Richmond County
Bhudeo Sinha
• Caroline
• Spotsylvania
• King William
Brenda L. Brown
(757) 518-2188
Brenda.brown@deq.virginia.gov
Craig R. Nicol
Groundwater Withdrawal Permitting Program Manager
Office of Water Supply
Department of Environmental Quality
P.O. Box 1105
Richmond, VA 23218
804-698-4214
craig.nicol@deq.virginia.gov
www.deq.virginia.gov
Technical Evaluation Requirements
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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.