Bill Text: VA SJR25 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Groundwater supply in the Commonwealth; Department of Environmental Quality to study.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-05 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ25ER) [SJR25 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-SJR25-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the General Assembly recognizes the critical importance of ensuring a safe and sustainable drinking water supply for its citizens; and
WHEREAS, the Ground Water Management Act of 1992 has served as a foundational framework for the regulation and management of groundwater resources in the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, the Commonwealth has experienced changes in its population, industrial development, and technological advancements over the past three decades; and
WHEREAS, it is imperative to assess the effectiveness of the existing regulatory framework in addressing the current and future challenges to the Commonwealth's groundwater supply; and
WHEREAS, newer industrial activities such as data centers have the potential to significantly impact groundwater resources, and it is essential to evaluate the historical, current, and potential future impacts of such activities on the Commonwealth's groundwater supply; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Department of Environmental Quality be requested to study the groundwater supply in the Commonwealth east of Interstate 95.
In conducting its study, the Department of Environmental Quality shall (i) provide historical and current data and trends relating to groundwater levels and groundwater quality; (ii) to the extent that dedicated funds are available, include future projections for groundwater levels and groundwater quality; (iii) to the extent that dedicated funds are available, evaluate potential future impacts to the groundwater supply as a result of increasing groundwater withdrawals from newer industries such as data centers; (iv) assess the current regulatory effectiveness of the Ground Water Management Act of 1992 (§62.1-254 et seq. of the Code of Virginia); and (v) consider and recommend any amendments to the Ground Water Management Act of 1992. If sufficient dedicated funds are not available to fully complete the necessary analysis, the Department of Environmental Quality's report shall include an estimate of the amount of additional funding necessary to complete its analysis.
Technical assistance shall be provided to the Department of Environmental Quality by the State Water Control Board. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Department of Environmental Quality for this study, upon request.
The Department of Environmental Quality shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2025, and shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the 2026 Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.
