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The
RRBC, through the work of its Water Allocation Group
(WAG), has found that although water well data is
critical to localities in making management decisions
regarding water resource and land use issues the data is
incomplete, difficult to access and therefore is of
limited usefulness. Water supply planning in the
Commonwealth is limited by locally available data.
Addressing current and future demand for water will be a
challenge for local and regional decision makers.
Understanding regional demands and resources and the
relationship with local needs will be important.
Further, protection of our water sources is of concern,
as demands grow the complexity of source water
protection will also grow.
Therefore the RRBC makes
the following recommendations:
- Create a Reliable and
Accessible Database
The RRBC considers the development of an on-going
program to consistently collect, store, and efficiently
use well drilling data (GW2 reports) to be of the
highest priority in understanding local and statewide
groundwater availability and provide information
necessary for local land use decisions. The goal is
100% completion of the GW2 form for each well drilled,
both public and private. A) The RRBC requests that the
Commonwealth appropriate the funds necessary to make
such a system viable. The development of an improved
system could be done by the Commonwealth or through
public-private partnership. The complete privatization
of such a program is not preferred because of concerns
over long-term reliability of data; including
maintenance, availability and continuity. This effort
could be operated and funded under a model similar to
either the Miss Utility or the Waste Tire programs. B)
As resources allow, localities should inventory data
from existing GW2 reports (historical data), but the
Commonwealth must take the lead in establishment of
protocols on how historic data should be prioritized,
entered, and stored; the Commonwealth must also create
the platform and develop the uniform data entry template
and maintain it, with the localities entering the data.
Recommended Actions:
1)
Chair & vice-Chair to meet with VDH and Secretary
of HHR officials to discuss the need for “A” to be
funded in the 2006-08 biennial budget.
2)
Chair & staff to meet with each member governing
body to discuss the local role.
- Ongoing Water Monitoring
Each locality should have at least one monitoring well,
either making use of an existing well or installing a
dedicated well. Some counties would need at least two
wells, one well for each physiographic region of the
county. Counties are encouraged to explore partnership
opportunities for the funding of the installation and
operation of monitoring wells. Partnerships with other
governmental agencies and with the private sector may be
appropriate depending on the individual circumstances.
Where localities construct and install wells, USGS shall
be requested to install the monitoring equipment,
collect the data and perform maintenance.
The WAG should work with the USGS and DEQ to identify
existing stream gauges in the basin, and elsewhere in
counties of the Rappahannock basin even if the gauge is
not in the basin.
The WAG should work to answer three questions: a) Where
do we need stream gauges? b) Which gauges will give us
the best information on groundwater? and c) What is the
relative importance and cost-effectiveness of additional
gauges in the Coastal Plain.
Recommended Actions:
1)
Chair & staff to meet with each member governing
body to discuss the local role.
2)
WAG and Staff work with USGS & DEQ to identify
where stream gauges are needed.
-
Regional River Base mapping
The RRBC encourages the localities and the Planning
Districts of the basin to develop a map that
consolidates the Future Land Use Plan Maps of all basin
localities. The information provided on this
consolidated map or series of maps should be presented
in a manner that will assist in decision-making
associated with the utilization of water resources, both
surface and ground water. This information should be
used to further the understanding of the impacts that
water resource demands and decisions in one locality
have on neighboring localities. The map can be a first
step in the effort to develop the big picture of overall
water supply demands, of potential conflicts and of
opportunities for cooperative solutions.
Recommended Actions:
1)
WAG and Staff work with Planning District and
local planning staff to develop maps that shows a
consolidated future land use plan for the localities of
the basin.
2)
Use this map as a means of identifying and
discussing potential cross-jurisdictional conflicts for
localities and state agencies as land use plans are
implemented and as future projects (CIP and land use
changes) are considered.
- Existing Conditions
Localities are encouraged to assemble a broad range of
geologic data in order to support the analysis necessary
for sound planning. The data should include: geologic
mapping, cartographic and other surficial mapping,
hydrology, geohydrology, well monitoring data, spring
flow data and surface water flow data.
Recommended Actions:
1)
Chair & staff to meet with each member governing
body to discuss the local role.
2)
WAG should provide for localities examples of
such studies including the benefits and the costs.
- Comprehensive Water
Planning
The RRBC expresses strong support for the development of
source water protection programs and for the
Commonwealth and the localities of the basin to adopt
these plans in a timely manner. It is important to
acknowledge that as land development occurs in a
locality it becomes more difficult to implement source
water protection programs. The development of an
effective program will have to be completed in stages
therefore we recognize that the initial program will not
accomplish all that is needed but will represent a first
step in the process. Public education of the importance
of protecting our source water should be a significant
part of that first step. Counties should be aware that
they have access to the Commonwealth’s Source Water
Assessment Program and that the information is available
in GIS format.
Recommended Actions:
1)
Chair & staff to meet with each member governing
body to discuss the local role.
2)
WAG should provide for localities examples of
such studies including the benefits and the costs.
- Commonwealth Ground Water
Planning Protocols
The RRBC requests the Virginia General Assembly to
direct DEQ to establish the protocols, tools, and
procedures for localities to develop ground water
planning in conjunction with water supply planning
regulations and that DEQ work with USGS to develop a
brief summary of tools available and the types of data
collected in order to characterize a ground water
system. The goal would be to develop a product the
localities can refer to in order to know what types of
data are necessary to characterize their groundwater
resources and the tools that exist to collect and
analyze that data effectively for each of the
physiographic regions in the Commonwealth.
Recommended Actions:
1)
Chair & vice-Chair to meet with VDH, DEQ, the
Secretaries of HHR and Natural Resources to discuss the
need for the development of these planning protocols.
2)
If necessary, General Assembly members patron
legislation calling for the development of these
protocols.
3)
Chair & staff to meet with each member governing
body to discuss the local role.
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