DEQ News Vol. 3 No. 10

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Oct. 18, 2024

Helene tanks recovery

DEQ Supports Helene Response and Recovery Efforts

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DEQ Drought Map 10.10.2024 v6

Drought Conditions Improve Across the Commonwealth

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    Ashland_Dam
 

DEQ Celebrates Removal of Ashland Mill Dam

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    Regional Planning Areas

 

Amended Water Supply Planning Regulation Now in Effect

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    Annual Reports

Annual Reports on PFAS, Water Resources, and Air Quality Now Available 

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     Extensometer

West Point Extensometer Nearing Completion 

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 Education_Series

Last Call! DEQ E-Tools and Resources Webinar

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 ARPA_Funds

DEQ Continues to Improve Sewage Collection and Treatment Regulations

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DEQ Supports Helene Response and Recovery Efforts

Tropical Storm Helene brought unprecedented rainfall to Southwest Virginia, resulting in historic flooding, downed trees, power outages, road closures, and damaged water and wastewater infrastructure. President Biden issued a Disaster Declaration on Oct. 1, which has been amended to include most counties in southwestern Virginia. As part of the Commonwealth's response to the storm, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) activated the Virginia Emergency Support Team, which organizes staff from executive branch agencies (including DEQ) and private sector partners into Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) that assist in the response to and recovery of critical sectors such as transportation, energy, communications, and water.

Under ESF #10 - Hazardous Materials, DEQ's Petroleum Program used a state-lead contractor in coordination with VDEM's Regional HazMat Officer and Regional HazMat Teams to recover oil-related tanks and containers from Claytor Lake. DEQ subsequently submitted a Mission Assignment request to FEMA for EPA to assist with the removal of oil and hazardous materials tanks and containers, propane tanks, non-hazardous chemical containers, and white goods from Claytor Lake and South Holston Lake. EPA has also been working in the communities of Damascus and Taylors Valley in Washington County to assist with the removal of similar materials and household hazardous wastes. 

Under ESF #3 - Public Works & Engineering, DEQ's Southwest and Blue Ridge Regional offices helped identify wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) that were damaged in the flooding. Those offices offered technical assistance, tracked the WWTPs' emergency repairs, and worked with plant operators to ensure they connected with their local emergency management officials to track reimbursable costs under FEMA's public assistance programs. ESF #3 also covers debris management, and DEQ's Land Protection Programs have been working with the Virginia Department of Transportation and local governments to support debris management efforts by reviewing permitting exemptions and/or issuing emergency permits for debris management activities. 

DEQ supported the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) subject matter experts’ efforts to estimate the amount of woody debris on Claytor Lake and South Holston Lake by requesting the assistance of Virginia Tech's Mechanical Engineering Uncrewed Systems Laboratory. The laboratory director used a fixed-wing plane to collect high-resolution imagery which was used to create composite images of the lakes. From there, graduate students used GIS-based tools to assign a percent coverage of debris in the lakes. Virginia Tech's analysis helped USACE right-size the debris removal scope of work, which also helped set expectations for executing and completing the mission to remove woody debris from the lakes. USACE and its contractor began removing woody debris from Claytor Lake on Oct. 18. EPA will manage any oil and hazmat debris that is still trapped in the debris field. 

Drought Conditions Improve Across the Commonwealth

Due to significant rainfall from Tropical Storm Helene, the drought watch advisory for the Big Sandy and New River Drought Evaluation Regions has been lifted and the warning advisory for the Shenandoah Region have been downgraded to a watch status. Despite recent precipitation, the Shenandoah and Northern Virginia Regions are still experiencing lower than normal groundwater levels and have reported long term impacts to crops and livestock pastures. Learn more about drought conditions on our website

DEQ Celebrates Removal of Ashland Mill Dam

After 30+ years of project planning, the now-obsolete Ashland Mill Dam across the South Anna River has been removed. The removal of the dam opened 38 miles of upstream spawning habitat for the American shad, 440 miles of upstream river network for the American eel, and more than 108 miles for alewife, blueback herring, and hickory shad.

Formerly used for hydromechanical power to operate a mill, this 13-foot-tall dam spanned 210 feet across the South Anna River near Route 1. Dam removal was determined to be the best approach to providing passage for fish species to reach native spawning and rearing habitat. Removal of this dam is also a Tier 1 priority in the Chesapeake Bay Fish Passage Prioritization Tool and a top priority of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) Fish Passage Program. 

This project was able to be accomplished through the combined efforts of DEQ, DWR, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Randolph-Macon College, and American Rivers. The project is the first compensatory mitigation bank involving large-scale dam removal in Virginia. Watch a time lapse of the dam removal here.

Amended Water Supply Planning Regulation Now in Effect

As a result of recent amendments to the Local and Regional Water Supply Planning Regulation (9VAC25-780), 26 regional planning areas have been established throughout Virginia. Localities within those regional planning areas are required to submit a single jointly-developed regional water supply plan by Oct. 9, 2029. The amendments further specify that the new regional water supply plans identify water supply risks and propose regional strategies to address those risks.  

To begin the planning process, each local government and water authority identified within the regional planning areas is required to provide contact information for a Regional Planning Unit (RPU) representative, and an alternate representative, to DEQ no later Dec. 8. Alternatively, if a Planning District Commission has assumed the RPU role, then the local government and water authority contact information should be submitted to the PDC who in turn will provide the information to DEQ. Please provide title, affiliation, phone number, and email. Contact information can be sent directly to DEQ via email at watersupplyplanning@deq.virginia.gov

RPU kickoff meetings are required to occur prior to April 7, 2025. DEQ staff will coordinate with RPU representatives to schedule kickoff meetings once contact information has been received and documented. DEQ will also distribute information to RPU contacts on limited funding available for regional water resource planning activities. Finally, DEQ staff are drafting regulatory guidance to support plan development and are aiming to share updates on this draft as they become available.  

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the Water Supply Planner assigned to your region. Planner contact information, and additional resources, can be found at the Water Supply Plan Development webpage.  

Annual Reports on PFAS, Water Resources, and Air Quality Now Available

Three annual reports are now available online for public viewing. The PFAS Assessment and Source Reduction Activities 2024 Annual Report details activities related to PFAS assessments, self-reporting, and discharge monitoring. The Air Quality and Air Pollution Control Policies of the Commonwealth of Virginia details the status of Virginia’s air quality, provides an overview of the air programs, and briefly summarizes federal and state air quality programs. Finally, the Virginia Annual Water Resources Report focuses on water quantity and supply, summarizes reported water withdrawals for the 2023 calendar year, identifies water withdrawal trends, and provides an update on the Commonwealth’s water resources management activities. View publicly available DEQ reports anytime on our website.

West Point Extensometer Nearing Completion

Construction is nearly complete at a new DEQ-funded extensometer near West Point. This instrument represents an important expansion of Virginia's ability to monitor vertical land motion, including land subsidence that may contribute to relative sea-level rise in coastal areas. An extensometer is a steel pipe with a bottom end anchored to bedrock at a specific depth, and a top end attached to instruments that measure the changing height of the land surface above the bedrock. In Virginia's Coastal Plain, this height corresponds to the thickness of the unconsolidated sediments that make up the Coastal Plain aquifer system. Aquifer-system thickness can change over time because of groundwater withdrawals, which reduce groundwater pressure and may cause compaction. Aquifer-system thickness can also increase in response to replenishment, such as the Hampton Roads Sanitation District's planned aquifer-recharge project known as the Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow, or SWIFT

In cooperation with DEQ, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) currently operates three existing extensometers near Franklin, Suffolk, and Nansemond. USGS is now overseeing the final phase of construction at the new West Point location. In 2023, USGS's Research Drilling Program drilled a pilot borehole to a depth of 1,420 feet below the land surface. Subsequently, USGS constructed the subsurface casing and pipe, along with a building to house the instrumentation. The final components are expected to be finished in the coming weeks, so that the extensometer can begin operating by the end of 2024.  

This fourth Virginia extensometer is the result of DEQ's strategic planning over many years. After a recommendation from the Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Advisory Committee, the General Assembly provided a special appropriation to DEQ for the extensometer. The $7.5M appropriation also supports the ongoing expansion of DEQ's statewide network of groundwater observation wells to provide high-quality data about groundwater levels and groundwater quality across the Commonwealth. Together, these initiatives represent a major investment in groundwater-resource monitoring and a demonstration of the successful long-term partnership between USGS and DEQ. 

Last Call! DEQ E-Tools and Resources Webinar

Throughout 2024, DEQ is hosting a webinar series to share information about programs and resources available across Virginia. On Oct. 22, our next webinar will provide an overview of several of our digital tools, including our Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools, Story Maps, and our award-winning Permitting Enhancement and Evaluation Platform. These webinars are designed for a general audience and are free and open to the public. Please visit the Education Series webpage to learn more about future webinars.  
Are there other topics you are interested in learning about from DEQ that you don't see listed? We want to hear from you! Please use the survey link below to send us your ideas for future webinar topics. DEQ Education Series Survey

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DEQ Continues to Improve Sewage Collection and Treatment Regulations

Recently, DEQ hosted its first in a series of advisory committee meetings on Sewage Collection and Treatment regulations. This committee, compiled of various subject matter experts, is tasked to make recommendations concerning policies, procedures, and programs for regulating sewerage systems and treatment works. As a result of this first successful meeting, DEQ will incorporate committee suggestions in its review of regulatory language updates and addition of any new technologies and methods.

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