Virginia Water Protection Permit Program Guidance Memorandum Now in Effect Read more
	PEEP - A Gold Star Example of Permit Efficiency  Read More
	Virginia Unified Risk Assessment Model Update - Effective Jan. 7 Read More
	Have Water Quality Data? We'd Love to See It!  Read More
	Notice of Intent to Award $1.5M for Water Quality Improvement Projects Read more
	Help Us Make Our Website Better, We Need Your Input! Read more
	Get Involved with DEQ's Comprehensive Climate Action Plan Read more
	USFWS Announces Proposed Listing of the Monarch Butterfly Read more
	DEQ Staff Member Graduates from Governor's Commonwealth Leadership Academy Read more

Virginia Water Protection Permit Program Guidance Memorandum Now in Effect

The Virginia Water Protection (VWP) Permit Program Manual Supplemental Guidance Memorandum GM24-2005 is now effective without change from the version posted to the Virginia Register for public comment on Nov. 18, 2024. As noted previously, this memo serves to replace Guidance Memorandum GM19-2003, saving 172 pages of text and supporting the Commonwealth’s government transparency efforts. While it informs the manual’s instructions, this guidance is a separate source of program information and background. It also does not address processes and activities unique to surface water withdrawals (9VAC25-210 Part V). Instead, the new guidance will document program-related decisions that have been made on various topics over time and assist staff and the public with better understanding of VWP permit program processes. This guidance memorandum and the VWP Permit and Compliance Manual will be updated on an as-needed basis. 

PEEP - A Gold Star Example of Permit Efficiency

Recognition of DEQ’s Permitting Enhancement and Evaluation Platform (PEEP) continues to grow. The Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) has called PEEP a “gold star example” for its dramatic success and growth to cover 12 DEQ permitting programs. This success has resulted in a reported 70% improvement in permit processing times.

As part of its highlight of PEEP, EPIC has provided case studies for how PEEP sets the standard for reducing red tape and how it can be a model for permit tracking for other government agencies across the nation, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Take a look!

Virginia Unified Risk Assessment Model Update - Effective Jan. 7

As of Jan. 7, the latest version of the Virginia Unified Risk Assessment Model (VURAM) is available for download from DEQ's VRP website.

This includes updates to EPA Regional Screening Levels (RSLs) through November 2024 and to Virginia 9VAC25-260-140 Criteria for Surface Water through June 26, 2024. The model has been updated to reflect the new EPA screening guidance for lead and compounds in residential soil issued Jan. 17, 2024; the associated implementation memo released in October 2024; and the resulting updates to lead MCLs and associated soil to groundwater screening values.

More information can be found on the EPA RSL What's New website. Updated screening table files, which reflect all updates for Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and Virginia Voluntary Remediation Program (VRP) are available for download in the Risk Assessment Section of our website. VURAM 3.3.1 supersedes and replaces all previous versions. 

For VURAM support please contact April Ni'Mary. For site-specific questions please reach out to your DEQ Office of Remediation Programs (ORP) remediation project manager. For all other comments or questions please contact the ORP Director, Brett Fisher. 

Have Water Quality Data? We'd Love to See It! 

DEQ is announcing a data solicitation deadline for water quality data to be used in the 2026 305(b)/303(d) Water Quality Assessment Integrated Report (IR). Water quality data collected between Jan. 1, 2019, and Dec. 31, 2024, will be reviewed and assessed per water quality assessment guidance for the 2026 IR. DEQ accepts water quality data to be reviewed and evaluated for assessment purposes on a continual basis. However, in order to be used for the 2026 IR, all data must be submitted by March 3 and accompanied by a DEQ Data Use Authorization Form, which can be found on DEQ’s Citizen Monitoring Webpage. Data submitted after the deadline will be reviewed in preparation of the 2028 IR.

The Virginia Data Explorer is an online data management tool that is the preferred method for submitting water quality data collected by non-agency monitoring groups. Data Use Authorization Forms and benthic macroinvertebrate data should be submitted directly to citizenwater@deq.virginia.gov.  

Notice of Intent to Award $1.5M for Water Quality Improvement Projects

DEQ released a Notice of Intent to Award (NOIA) to provide $1.5 million in federal funds for seven watershed cleanup projects. Each of these seven projects address “nonpoint source pollution” to help achieve water quality goals. Nonpoint source water pollution comes from many places, and can include runoff contaminated by agricultural, human, or pet waste. These projects will address nonpoint source pollution through practices such as connecting houses to municipal sewage systems, installing fencing to keep livestock out of waterbodies, and installing rain gardens or other stormwater catchment systems.

If you have comments on this Notice of Intent to Award or the projects selected for funding, submit them to NPSgrants@deq.virginia.gov by Jan. 17. More information on nonpoint source grant and funding opportunities is available on our website. 

Help Us Make Our Website Better, We Need Your Input!

As we kick off the new year, DEQ is embarking on renovations to our website, but we need your help! Please take a moment to provide your feedback on the kinds of information and tools you use on our website by completing this short survey.

Through this initiative, we will make the DEQ website serve you better, and your feedback will help us meet the mark. Additional information on this important initiative is available on our webpage. You can also sign up for email updates.

DEQ is currently developing Virginia's 2025 Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) and wants to hear from you! Throughout January and February 2025, the DEQ CCAP team will be hosting six in-person community listening sessions across the Commonwealth to solicit feedback on plan development. Please visit the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) Calendar to learn more about the upcoming meeting dates at DEQ’s regional offices. Though attending in-person provides the opportunity for direct engagement, DEQ is also providing a virtual option to listen in and ask questions. For more information on this plan and how to get involved, visit the CPRG webpage or email the DEQ CPRG team at CPRG@DEQ.Virginia.Gov. 

On Dec. 10, 2024, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced the proposed listing of the monarch butterfly as a threatened species afforded the protections provided by the Federal Endangered Species Act. According to USFWS, these majestic insects have been on a steady decline for the past 20 years. 

USFWS is taking public comment on the proposed rulemaking through March 12. While it is too early to say for sure what, if any, effect the listing will have on regulated activities in Virginia, DEQ encourages the public to participate in the two virtual public events and ask specific questions regarding how the proposed listing may affect project planning and project implementation in Virginia. The regulated community and others interested parties can also gain a wealth of insight from the questions and answers series and other information published to date by USFWS on their informational webpage. You can also view the rulemaking docket information directly online by searching its docket number: FWS-R3-ES-2024-0137. 

DEQ contact: Brenda Winn at brenda.winn@deq.virginia.gov

DEQ Staff Member Graduates from Governor's Commonwealth Leadership Academy

Congratulations to Trisha Beasley, DEQ's recently promoted Director of Operations, for graduating from the Governor's Commonwealth Leadership Academy, developed by the VCU Performance Management Group in collaboration with the Secretary of Administration and Virginia Department of Human Resources Management. The Governor's Cabinet selected state executive participants who have demonstrated a commitment to developing their leadership strengths and becoming change agents for Virginia's future. The purpose of this leadership program is to equip new and long-term agency leaders with knowledge and resources to develop and maintain a high-performing workforce.