The Rappahannock River Basin Commission

Correspondence

 

Letter to the Governor of Virginia - Mark Warner

December 11, 2002 

   

 

The Honorable Mark R. Warner                                                     

Governor of Virginia

The State Capitol

Richmond, Virginia  22319

 

 

Dear Governor Warner:

 

At the most recent meeting of the Rappahannock River Basin Commission we

spent considerable time discussing recommendations developed as part

of our basin wide water supply planning project.  The Commission directed

that I send you this letter communicating one of our recommendations

because of its pertinence to your efforts to streamline state government

activities.  The Rappahannock River Basin Commission respectfully

recommends that the Commonwealth pursue efforts to consolidate the water supply planning and policy functions within state government.

 

 

In your remarks to state agency heads on December 3rd you stated that

"...the state has simply ignored water supply planning altogether,

leaving local governments on their own.  This session, we will address

those problems by consolidating water functions in state government in

common sense manner."  Our three-year effort to develop tools and techniques for a basin wide approach to water supply planning has led

us to similar conclusions.  We whole-heartedly support efforts to

consolidate water supply planning functions. 

 

The Rappahannock River Basin Commission's water supply planning

project has developed many recommendations for the Commonwealth and our

fourteen local government members.  We will be communicating other

recommendations to the State Water Commission and the Secretaries of

Natural Resources and Health and Human Resources.  This project has

been pursued with one critical goal in mind - develop a more cost effective

approach to water supply planning.  A key to reaching that goal is to change the way we approach water supply facility planning.  We believe

that the broadest possible array of stakeholders must be empowered to

participate from the earliest stages of any water supply planning effort. Additionally, there must be a partnership between state and local governments that allows for the acquisition and sharing of critical water supply data, the interpretation of this data for decision makers to use in land use planning. Our efforts have been to develop mechanisms to analyze and interpret water supply data and to involve the broadest possible array of stakeholders.   

 

 

We stand ready to work with you and others to share what we have

learned and to develop mechanisms to obtain the data necessary for comprehensive water supply planning.

 

Thank you for your time and attention to this critical issue. If I can be of further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me at 804-493-8104.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Robert J. Wittman, Ph.D

Chairman

 

 

Letter to Secretary of Natural Resources -W. Tayloe Murphy, Jr.

 

 

December 11, 2002

 

The Honorable W. Tayloe Murphy, Jr.

Secretary of Natural Resources

Commonwealth of Virginia

Ninth Street Office Building, Seventh Floor

202 North Ninth Street

Richmond, Virginia  23219

 

 

Dear Secretary Murphy:

 

At the most recent meeting of the Rappahannock River Basin Commission we spent considerable time discussing recommendations developed as part of our basin wide water supply planning project.  The Commission directed that I send you this letter  communicating several recommendations and offering to work with your office to share what we have learned over the last three years in our water supply planning project.  The Rappahannock River Basin Commission respectfully recommends that the Commonwealth begin efforts to:

 

1.  Commission a comprehensive study of groundwater resources in the Piedmont area of the basin to supply information on quantity and sustainability of current uses in order to provide information for local governments to use in water supply and land use management plans.   Additional efforts to identify groundwater resources in the Coastal Plain area of the basin are also needed but the highest priority is for the Piedmont region were there is less data available on current resources.

 

2.  Reduce the water withdrawal-reporting threshold required by the Department of Environmental Quality from 10,000 gallons per day to 3,000 gallons per day to better quantify existing groundwater withdrawals.

 

3.  Require well depth and static water level to be reported on all new wells using the existing Well Drillers Report Form (GW-2) and require this information to be gathered and analyzed by the Department of Environmental Quality in order to provide localities up to date information on quantity and sustainability of their groundwater resources.

 

4.  Direct the Department of Health and the Department of Environmental Quality to begin the lengthy process of inventorying all existing permitted wells and identify the cumulative quantity of water withdrawn from these wells specific to each aquifer. * Note: This information is currently required by DEQ to be submitted by well drillers on the Well Driller Report Form (GW-2).

 

We understand that these represent a significant commitment of resources in times of budget shortfalls.  We also understand that to be successful this will represent a long-term commitment on the part of the Commonwealth.  We feel strongly that water supply planning has long been ignored as a state priority.  This year's experience with the drought clearly shows that water supply planning is not simply a local issue or responsibility.  For the future, local governments and the Commonwealth must be more equal partners in such efforts.  Our planning efforts have shown that the activities listed above will be essential to good water planning and they are not local in nature. We also know that there are efforts in addition to those stated above which are necessary to achieve comprehensive water supply planning. We stand willing to work with the Commonwealth to identify all efforts necessary to achieve comprehensive water supply planning.

 

Thank you for your time and attention to this critical issue. The Rappahannock River Basin Commission looks forward to working with the Commonwealth in planning for the future of our water resources. If I can be of further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me at 804-493-8104.

 

Sincerely,

 

Robert J. Wittman, Ph.D

Chairman

 

 

Letter to State Water Commission - Martin E. Williams

 

 

December 11, 2002

 

The Honorable Martin E. Williams                                     

Chairman

State Water Commission

Post Office Box 1096

Newport News, Virginia  23601

 

 

Dear Senator Williams: 

 

At the most recent meeting of the Rappahannock River Basin Commission we spent considerable time discussing recommendations developed as part of our basin wide water supply planning project.  The Commission directed that I send you this letter  communicating several recommendations and offering to work with the State Water Commission to share what we have learned over the last three years in our water supply planning project.  The Rappahannock River Basin Commission respectfully present the following resources to be considered in your efforts at statewide water supply planning:

 

Evaluate and consider the water supply planning framework and guiding principles developed  by the Rappahannock River Basin Commission in the development of a  statewide water supply planning effort.

 

Utilize the Rappahannock River Basin for a pilot study of water supply planning in the State of Virginia where both ground and surface water data can be developed and existing models can be verified to support local water supply planning.

 

We understand that to be successful water supply planning must involve a long term, sustained effort by the state and localities.  We feel strongly that water supply planning has long been ignored as a state priority.  This year's experience with the drought clearly shows that water supply planning is not simply a local issue or responsibility.  For the future, local governments and the Commonwealth must be more equal partners in such efforts.  Our planning efforts have shown that the information and resources listed above will be essential to good water planning and they focus upon cooperative, regional efforts involving all stakeholders. There must be a concerted effort by the Commonwealth and localities in order to achieve successful water supply planning. We stand willing to work with the State Water Commission to identify all efforts necessary to achieve comprehensive water supply planning.

 

 

Thank you for your time and attention to this critical issue. The Rappahannock River Basin Commission looks forward to working with the State Water Commission in planning for the future of our water resources. If I can be of further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me at 804-493-8104.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Robert J. Wittman, Ph.D 

Chairman