Consultants tell Fauquier supervisors drought, PFAS and fractured bedrock put county’s groundwater at risk

Jamie Emory of consulting firm Emery & Garrett told the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 14 that the county is “completely dependent on ground water,” and that a multi‑year rainfall deficit has driven measurable declines in monitoring wells across service districts.

Emory gave a technical briefing on a groundwater monitoring program the county began in 2021, showing declines in some wells of roughly 10 to 15 feet during recent dry periods and describing how the county’s fractured bedrock geology produces widely varying well yields. He said Hurricane Helene’s rainfall provided temporary recovery in 2024, but the longer trend remains below historic average and “this drought is real.”

Why it matters: Fauquier’s public water systems rely on production wells in multiple service districts. Emory said that, because recharge areas and groundwater flow vary by district and by rock type, a countywide one‑size‑fits‑all drought plan is insufficient. He urged well‑by‑well trigger levels, expanded monitoring (including adding PFAS sampling), and land‑use planning that recognizes and protects sensitive recharge areas.

Key recommendations and details

- Expand the monitoring program. Emory described a network of monitoring wells that began in 2021 and recommended continuing and enlarging that program so staff can detect changes in both water level and quality. He said PFAS sampling has been added to next year’s monitoring schedule.

- Create well‑specific drought triggers. Emory recommended establishing “green/watch/warning/shut‑off” bands for each production well so managers know when to shift withdrawals to other wells or implement restrictions.

- Map and protect recharge/wellhead areas. Using groundwater modeling and geophysical surveys, the consultant team produced capture‑zone maps showing that much of the recharge for some service‑district wells lies outside service‑district boundaries; protecting those recharge lands, Emory said, is essential to sustaining yields.

- Limit contamination risk and consider artificial recharge. Emory warned that spills, old dry‑cleaning solvents and road salts can persist and contaminate groundwater; he also said engineered stormwater capture and artificial recharge basins can help direct more water into recharge zones in favorable geologic settings.

On PFAS and treatment costs

Emory told the board that PFAS present a near‑term regulatory and budget challenge. He said a federal drinking‑water standard is expected (the federal reference currently cited in the briefing was 4 parts per trillion for some PFAS compounds) and that treatment—typically granular activated carbon or similar processes—can be expensive. “It’s not an easy, cheap solution,” he said, and urged the board to factor monitoring and treatment costs into long‑term planning.

Board reaction and next steps

Several supervisors voiced concern about long‑term costs and the governance implications of small, expensive systems that the county or the Fauquier County Water and Sanitation Authority might have to operate. Staff and Emory suggested delaying specific permitting actions if necessary to develop mutually acceptable mitigation conditions (for example, for a proposed above‑ground storage tank tied to a 40‑lot subdivision discussed later in the meeting).

Emory said the firm would provide slide materials and continued technical support; he recommended the county use monitoring data to inform land‑use reviews so that development proposals in key recharge areas trigger special stewardship or engineering requirements.

The board did not take an immediate action on policy changes during the presentation but directed staff to continue working with the consultant and WSA to refine monitoring, mitigation and land‑use approaches.