Loudoun Water decided to establish an independent system, to ensure a reliable supply for Loudoun customers without depending upon contracts with external utilities tied to political jurisdictions who competed with Loudoun to attract businesses. In Clark County, 75% of the residents still rely upon groundwater, pumped to the surface through wells, but most urban areas have exhausted the supply available from springs and rely upon surface water.2, expansion of the Eastern Virginia Ground Water Management Area was proposed due to declining groundwater levels throughout the Coastal Plain Learn about driving provisions and special programs focused on keeping both Virginia's older drivers and roadways safe. This restriction should also be posted at Lake Brittle. "Loudoun Water Purchases Beaverdam, Goose Creek Reservoirs," Leesburg Today, February 3, 2014, http://www.leesburgtoday.com/ews/loudoun-water-purchases-beaverdam-goose-creek-reservoirs/article_43473838-8cde-11e3-8ef7-0019bb2963f4.html (last checked February 12, 2014) Fact: The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that "rivers that are navigable in fact are navigable in law." The Danville-Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce has objected to proposals to export Dan River water to the Greensboro Triad region of North Carolina:5. Withdrawals from nontidal waters that total less than 300,000 gallons in any single month (for agriculture, less than 1,000,000 gallons) do not require a Virginia Water Protection (VWP) Permit. "Fairfax City Opts to Keep its Water System," Falls Church Times, June 18, 2012, http://fallschurchtimes.com/35678/fairfax-city-opts-to-keep-its-water-system/ (last checked November 4, 2012) Political geography does not reflect the physical geography in many areas, and political disconnects were mirrored by pipeline disconnects. This section contains user-friendly summaries of Virginia laws as well as citations or links to relevant sections of Virginia's official online statutes.Please select a topic from the list below to get started. "Northern Shenandoah Regional Water Supply Plan," July 26, 2012, pp.9-14, http://www.winchesterva.gov/documents/government/city_council_meetings/Drought-Management-and-Water-Conservation-Plan.pdf (last checked November 4, 2012) You’ll have a good laugh at some of the following things that are considered unlawful in our state. Riparian land ownership does not grant priority - the land with the oldest ("senior") water right could be located far from the natural river. In Virginia, the 1998-99 drought showed that many communities lacked pipeline connections that would allow adjacent political units to sell large amounts of water to each other. Some Virginia cities and counties have created unified "service authorities," consolidated utility systems to distribute water based on watersheds and gravity rather than political boundaries. The State Water Control Board shall annually review the uses and development of the waters of the Potomac River, and make such report thereon as it deems advisable to the Governor and to the General Assembly, together with such recommendations as the Board feels are necessary for the protection and full enjoyment of Virginia's riparian rights in such river. The city had no additional sources of water within its boundaries, so it went west to Loudoun County and dammed Goose and Beaverdam creeks. 7. In a recent AW review of river access laws across the Nation, Virginia was among the states providing the fewest public rights to simply float down rivers and streams. The quarry will serve as a reservoir, storing the water until it is needed during the summer. Virginia law states that navigable streambeds are public and open to Virginia citizens to enjoy, and that land not otherwise conveyed is the property of the state and held in trust for the public’s use and enjoyment. The Department of Environmental Quality now regulates large-scale (greater than 10,000 gallons per day) surface water withdrawals (including wetlands, stream channels, lakes, springs, and ponds, but excluding groundwater) under the Virginia Water Protection Permit (VWPP) Program, but the right to the water is based on ownership of adjacent land. In 2013, DEQ proposed expanding the Eastern Virginia Ground Water Management Area to include the entire Coastal Plain, because:1, in Ground Water Management Areas, no permit is required for withdrawals for a heat pump if the ground water is reinjected into the aquifer from which it was withdrawn As the Hampton Roads area has grown in Virginia, water distribution battles have heated up between Virginia Beach and North Carolina over a water pipeline from Lake Gaston (an interbasin transfer from the Roanoke River), and between Newport News and the Mattaponi Tribe over a proposed reservoir moving Mattaponi River water across the watershed divide to a city on the James River. Virginia courts have used, rather strictly, the “navigable in fact” test to determine whether a river is navigable. The Constitution of Virginia defines and limits the powers of state government and the basic rights of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Fairfax City initially opted to maintain its own system, but later chose to consolidate with the county's system (Fairfax Water) rather than duplicate infrastructure. Find the shortest routes and directions for your itinerary using Google maps. Like the western states, the state government is getting involved in tracking and regulating water withdrawals. The U.S. Coast Guard's Boating Safety Division (CG-BSX-2) is dedicated to reducing loss of life, injuries, and property damage that occur on U.S. waterways by improving the knowledge, skills, and abilities of recreational boaters. Like all other state constitutions, it is supreme over Virginia's laws and acts of government, though it may be superseded by the United States Constitution and U.S. federal law. Brush up on your French … Site developed by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems (DLAS). 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