State officials are concerned that Virginia’s groundwater supplies in the Northern Neck and Tidewater regions are declining at a rapid rate, creating a scenario where water scarcity and saltwater intrusion into the aquifers threaten state water supplies. As a result, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has reduced the amount of permitted groundwater withdrawal by the state’s largest users.
For 18 months, the DEQ negotiated with Virginia’s 14 largest groundwater consumers to curb daily withdrawals that range anywhere from 2 to 36 million gallons a day (MGD). According to a report by Fredericksburg.com the DEQ hopes to limit withdrawals to the point that rates of groundwater level declines are substantially reduced or reversed by 2025.[I]
“Collectively, they represented 87 to 90 percent of the withdrawal in the region,” said Water Supply Chief Scott Kudlas in an interview with the Fredericksburg.com. “The allocated withdrawal was in the neighborhood of 146 MGD and now it’s down in the neighborhood of 70 MGD.”[II]
Now on the heels of successful negotiations, the DEQ plans to implement future limitations on the drilling of private wells for home consumption. A 2008 survey by the USGS estimates that more than 40 MGD of groundwater is withdrawn from wells throughout the Commonwealth. “We’re concerned about the unpermitted portion of the withdrawals because of its size and that it appears to be the fastest-growing portion of the withdrawal,” said Kudlas to Fredericksburg.com.[III]
In response, the DEQ has tasked a wide range of stakeholders to devise ways that the state might protect groundwater supplies for future growth and development. A final report to the DEQ will be published at the end of this month, with recommendations going to the General Assembly in early November.[IV]
[I] D’Angelo, Pamela. Virginia tightens spigot on big water users to stem Potomac Aquifer decline. Fredericksburg, August 5, 2017. Web. http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/environment/virginia-tightens-spigot-on-big-water-users-to-stem-potomac/article_46dcc766-36f9-5687-a60f-651f97bd6596.html
[II] D’Angelo. Virginia tightens spigot on bug water users to stem Potomac Aquifer decline. http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/environment/virginia-tightens-spigot-on-big-water-users-to-stem-potomac/article_46dcc766-36f9-5687-a60f-651f97bd6596.html
[III] D’Angelo. Virginia tightens spigot on bug water users to stem Potomac Aquifer decline. http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/environment/virginia-tightens-spigot-on-big-water-users-to-stem-potomac/article_46dcc766-36f9-5687-a60f-651f97bd6596.html
[IV] D’Angelo. Virginia tightens spigot on bug water users to stem Potomac Aquifer decline. http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/environment/virginia-tightens-spigot-on-big-water-users-to-stem-potomac/article_46dcc766-36f9-5687-a60f-651f97bd6596.html
Picture Reference: NAVFAC Flickr