Virginia DEQ
Home MenuDEQ News Vol. 4 No. 7
August 5, 2025
|
|
Regional Water Supply Planning is Underway |
Apply Today for 2026 Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Grants |
|
Public Feedback Period Open for Revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement |
|
|
|
Still Time to Provide Feedback on DEQ's Comprehensive Climate Action Plan |
|
|
DEQ Expands Climate Response Network |
|
|
DEQ Director Tours Upper Occoquan Service Authority Facility |
|
|
State Water Control Board Chair Appointed ORSANCO Treasurer |
|
|
Statewide Public Electric Vehicle Charging Network Changes |
Regional Water Supply Planning is Underway
The regional water supply planning process is a long-term collaborative effort involving a number of state and local stakeholders. Localities take the lead role in identifying the future water needs of their communities and DEQ provides technical analysis and oversight. To that end, DEQ recently completed dozens of kickoff water supply planning meetings with all Regional Planning Areas: communities within a defined geographical area of a watershed. During the meetings, DEQ provided an overview of the water supply planning process following amendments to 9VAC25-780, explained regulatory requirements and timelines, shared resources for plan development, and answered questions.
Apply Today for 2026 Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Grants
Volunteer water monitoring groups collect data to help inform communities about the health of our waters throughout the state. From 2017-2022, volunteer monitoring data was used to assess 2,333 miles of streams/rivers, 74 square miles of estuary, and 21,737 acres of lakes! These data help DEQ assess the health of local waterways, as well as develop and prioritize clean-up plans.
DEQ is now accepting applications for 2026 Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Grants. Applications must be submitted by Aug. 31. Awarded proposals are expected to perform project activities between January 2026 and December 2026.
The grant program provides guidance and support for activities promoting volunteer collection of water quality data, and community-based education on water quality monitoring and the environment.
For more information, visit the program webpage, email citizenwater@deq.virginia.gov, or call Meighan Wisswell at (571) 866-6494.
Public Feedback Period Open for Revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement
Note: Below copy provided by the Chesapeake Bay Program.
On July 1, the Chesapeake Bay Program released a draft revised version of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, a roadmap for a restored Chesapeake Bay watershed signed by the governors of the six watershed states, mayor of Washington, D.C., administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency on behalf of the federal government and the chair of the tri-state legislative Chesapeake Bay Commission in 2014. Based on extensive research and community input, the current Watershed Agreement’s 10 goals and 31 outcomes have been consolidated, updated or revised for a proposed four goals and 21 outcomes.
The document is available here: The Revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement
From July 1 – Sept. 1, the public is invited to provide written feedback on the proposed revisions to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. Feedback will be accepted via email to comments@chesapeakebay.net. Once received, this feedback will be reviewed by a team of subject matter experts within the partnership to inform the next version of the revised Watershed Agreement, which will be presented to the Management Board in October 2025.
Still Time to Provide Feedback on DEQ's Comprehensive Climate Action Plan
DEQ is still developing a statewide Comprehensive Climate Action Plan and wants your input on potential ways to reduce climate pollution across the state. Find out what this means for you and your community, and share your thoughts through DEQ’s community survey before the survey closes at 5 p.m. on Aug. 8.
Feedback will help DEQ shape a plan that reflects the priorities of Virginia’s communities. For more information, please visit the CPRG webpage or email our team at CPRG@deq.virginia.gov.
DEQ Expands Climate Response Network
DEQ recently completed the installation of three Climate Response Network monitoring wells in the City of Harrisonburg and in Giles and Shenandoah Counties. These new research stations are outfitted with real-time telemetry equipment that measures the hydrostatic pressure of the fractured-rock aquifer system to monitor and evaluate the relation between long-term climatic trends and groundwater levels. The long-term statistics generated by each research station are essential components for drought designations and groundwater resource evaluations throughout the state.
DEQ, in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey, has installed 17 out of 20 planned network wells across the state, and will install the remaining three wells this fall.
Real-time groundwater level monitoring data from all of Virginia’s State Observation Well network can be viewed here.
DEQ Director Tours Upper Occoquan Service Authority Facility
Director Mike Rolband recently visited, and biked, the Upper Occoquan Service Authority (UOSA) wastewater treatment facility in Northern Virginia. This 54-million-gallon-per-day facility provides sanitary sewer service to a large portion of the surrounding cities and counties. The guided bike tour was led by UOSA’s Chief Executive Director, Brian Steglitz and joined by UOSA’s Chief Operating Officer, Douglas Hague and DEQ staff member Sarah Sivers. The group visited each component of the high-performance facility’s treatment processes, from the influent arriving via the sewage collection system, through aeration and to the treated final effluent which meets some of the most stringent discharge limits in the United States. This is necessary because UOSA discharges into Bull Run, a tributary to the Occoquan Reservoir which serves as a source of drinking water for a large part of Northern Virginia.
State Water Control Board Chair Appointed ORSANCO Treasurer
For the first time since 1987, a Virginian has been appointed to the executive board of the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO). Lou Ann Jessee-Wallace, Chair of the Virginia State Water Control Board, was appointed as treasurer of the ORSANCO executive board at its recent meeting. ORSANCO is an interstate commission representing eight states and the federal government, including Virginia. ORSANCO operates programs to improve water quality in the Ohio River and its tributaries, including: setting wastewater discharge standards; performing biological assessments; monitoring for the chemical and physical properties of the waterways; and conducting special surveys and studies. Congratulations to Lou Ann!
Statewide Public Electric Vehicle Charging Network Changes
Attention electric vehicle (EV) drivers: access to charging stations in Virginia is actively changing. After a competitive bid process, DEQ awarded a contract to EVgo in 2018 to develop, install, own and operate the Drive Electric Virginia (DEV) public EV charging network. The EV charging industry is continuously changing as newer equipment is developed, more EVs become available, charging demands shift, and funding availability fluctuates. Therefore, charging stations on the network may be added, be upgraded, or closed.
The primary goal of the DEV network is to deploy high-powered fast chargers along heavily traveled routes and in metropolitan areas, while ensuring charging accessibility across the entire state. DEV development leveraged existing public charging networks in coordination with other entities installing fast chargers in Virginia, including Electrify America.
The DEV public network was completed in December 2024. With the installation of four 350kW charging host sites, the DEV network now has a total of 57 fast charging host sites across the Commonwealth resulting in an estimated 96% of Virginians residing within 30 miles of a public fast charger.
With its completion, DEQ retains specific oversight of the DEV network, including ensuring that EVgo owns and operates each DEV host site for a minimum of five years, and maintains a 96% annual uptime rate of the network. DEQ is committed to remaining engaged with EVgo as the network continues to evolve.