Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Audits topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves water-audit and leak-detection plan requirements for permits
Summary
The board adopted amendments to Virginia Water Protection and groundwater withdrawal regulations to require water-auditing plans and leak-detection-and-repair plans for permitted withdrawals, with audit frequencies varying by user type and specified reporting cycles.
The State Water Control Board adopted final amendments that incorporate water-auditing plans and leak-detection-and-repair plans into Virginia Water Protection permit requirements and groundwater withdrawal regulations, implementing provisions of Senate Bill 1291 (2021 special session).
Eric Sevey of DEQ’s Office of Water Withdrawal Permitting presented the rule changes, which split requirements by user type (public water supplies, commercial/industrial, and agricultural). For surface-water withdrawals, the threshold for a nonagricultural permit remains withdrawals of 10,000 gallons or more per day, and audits will generally follow American Water Works Association methodology or a DEQ-approved alternative. DEQ said public water supplies must conduct annual audits with reports submitted every three years; commercial and industrial users will complete audits and submit reports on a three-year cycle; agricultural audits will be annual or periodic based on management plans but must show initiation in year one.
Sevey said the regulatory changes incorporate definitions for water loss and water-loss audits, clarify how audits inform leak-detection plans (including equipment descriptions and inspection schedules), and will attach plans to permit fact sheets or rationale to make them enforceable. DEQ summarized public-comment topics and said it provided responses in the town-hall document; staff recommended adoption.
A board member moved to adopt the staff recommendation; it was seconded and approved by voice vote. DEQ said the department will continue to evaluate certain audit methodologies on a case-by-case basis and may develop guidance as programs mature.
The board’s action updates permit obligations for permitted withdrawers and is intended to improve water-loss accounting and leak detection across sectors.
