Expanding the Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Area

1. Expanding the Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Area Office of Water Supply

2. Establishing a Groundwater Management Area • Protects existing users from new or expanding withdrawals.  • Assures continued resource viability into the future. • Manages the resource comprehensively.

3. 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.

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

5. 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

6. 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

8. Does this Affect Me? ? Do I need a consultant? Mitigation ? What is the Withdrawal threshold for needing a permit? When are the permit applications due? Water Conservation & Management Plan How complicated is the groundwater permitting application process?

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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: • 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.

12. New or Expanded Users Application Information / 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.

13. 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

14. 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

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

16. 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?

17. 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

18. 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)

19. 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).

20. 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

21. Table 1: Summary of potential applicants in expansion area

22. Existing Users Pre-Application Workshops Canceled do to SNOW

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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.