Surface Water Withdrawals and Impoundments

Many water withdrawal projects involve planning and engineering long before any permits are obtained. DEQ's Office of Surface and Ground Water Supply Planning is responsible for assisting the public with such planning and is also involved with the permitting process.

While there are exceptions, such as for agricultural operations, projects involving surface water withdrawals from state waters and related permanent structures and fill are permitted under the Virginia Water Protection Permit (VWPP) Program. The VWPP Program is administered by the DEQ Division of Water Quality Programs. DEQ issues Virginia Water Protection permits for such impacts through use of the Joint Permit Application process. For the full regulation concerning water withdrawals and structures permitted under the Virginia Water Protection Permit Program, please refer to: http://leg1.state.va.us/000/reg/TOC09025.HTM#C0210 and http://www.deq.virginia.gov/wetlands/permitfees.html.

The type of project determines which DEQ office will handle permitting tasks. Projects involving, but not limited to, reservoirs; power plants; industrial impoundments or intakes; and interbasin transfers (multi-regional supply projects), as regulated under the VWPP Program, are permitted by DEQ's Central Office staff. Staff from both the Water Quality Programs Division and the Office of Surface and Ground Water Supply Planning work on these permits. At this time, DEQ's regional VWPP staff work on permits for water withdrawal and water supply projects involving, but not limited to, golf course operations and dam construction, maintenance, or removal.

Currently, only VWP individual permits are issued for water withdrawal or water supply projects, when regulated under the VWPP Program.

Certain water withdrawals require reporting to the State Water Control Board. For more information on reporting requirements, please refer to the DEQ Office of Surface and Ground Water Supply Planning.

The Virginia Water Protection Permit Program does not issue permits for surface water withdrawals regulated under the Surface Water Management Act of 1989, which establishes Surface Water Management Areas. For information about permit requirements in Surface Water Management Areas, please refer to the Office of Surface and Ground Water Supply Planning.

Information on permitting water supply projects can be obtained from Scott Kudlas, Office of Surface and Ground Water Supply Planning, or from DEQ regional VWPP Program staff.