Friends of the Rappahannock warns river at risk as residents press county on data centers and withdrawals

A representative of Friends of the Rappahannock told the King George County Board of Supervisors on May 20 that the river’s placement on American Rivers’ annual “most endangered” list reflects growing threats from variable flows, increasing water withdrawals and incomplete data about legacy intakes.

Brent Hunsinger, coastal program director for Friends of the Rappahannock, said the group is pushing for a basin-wide water-supply plan and better disclosure of pre-1989 surface-water intakes. “We do view this designation as a proactive tool,” Hunsinger said, and added that cumulative impacts from multiple users are not fully represented in single-permit reviews.

The presentation followed public comments from several residents who told supervisors they were worried about groundwater declines and the local effects of proposed large facilities. Arne Eliason, a resident who studies groundwater data, told the board he was alarmed by recent permit requests elsewhere in the basin — citing a Caroline County request that had sought up to 13.9 million gallons per day — and by Amazon’s permit to withdraw up to 4.4 million gallons per day. “Just those two requests … would withdraw 10% of the water in the Rappahannock during drought conditions,” Eliason said.

Anna Maria Lobo of Presidential Lakes said she is concerned about converting farmland to industrial uses to host data centers, lithium battery storage or solar farms. “We don’t want to become Fredericksburg or Northern Virginia. We want to remain a rural King George,” she said.

Supervisor Collins and other board members acknowledged the tension between attracting revenue-producing projects and protecting water, farmland and rural character. Collins said county leaders must balance rising service costs against citizen calls to avoid new industry; Supervisor Stroud and Chair Kathy Bender (identified in meeting records as the board chair) said regional planning and stronger public engagement are needed as large projects advance.

Friends of the Rappahannock recommended three main steps: require better data disclosure for legacy and proposed intakes; fund and consolidate regional water-supply planning so plans can be combined into a river-basin plan; and require return of any unconsumed surface water moved out of the Rappahannock basin. Hunsinger said the group is working with state legislators and DEQ to secure funding and policy changes.

The board did not take an action on the presentation; members and staff said they will continue to coordinate with neighboring localities and DEQ on regional water planning, and noted a state-funded study by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science will examine cumulative impacts of surface-water intakes on fish mortality and salinity.

Residents and supervisors urged continued public outreach and earlier notification about large proposals. Several speakers asked the county to make permitting and project materials easier to find and to use tools such as public-notice mapping and alerts to reach more residents.

The conversation included repeated references to recently proposed or discussed data-center projects in the county and the region, and to state-level policy options to address cumulative impacts of industrial cooling and surface-water withdrawals. The board and staff said they will monitor the ongoing regional planning work and the state-funded studies cited by Friends of the Rappahannock.