An Act to amend and reenact § 62.1-44.38 of the Code of Virginia, relating to certain data from water users; water use consumption for domestic, commercial, and industrial purposes and from data centers.
HB496 amends Virginia’s water planning and reporting statute to expand how the Commonwealth collects, analyzes, and uses water-use data. The bill directs the State Water Control Board and the Department of Environmental Quality to continue preparing river basin plans, but with more detailed, data-driven estimates of current and future withdrawals, drought-related instream flow needs, public water system capability, and the risk of local and regional water supply shortfalls. It also requires regional water planning efforts to be coordinated more closely and to identify water supply risks and response strategies more clearly.
A major feature of the bill is new reporting related to water users that withdraw significant amounts of surface or groundwater. The Board may require registration of withdrawal and use data, including average and maximum daily withdrawals, water sources, wastewater discharge, and location data. For entities that provide water offsite, the bill also requires monthly reporting of potable and reclaimed water volumes delivered to data centers and, where feasible, to domestic, commercial, industrial, and other non-categorized uses. The bill further treats localities served by water utilities using the Potomac River as a distinct drought evaluation region and incorporates existing Potomac drought response provisions into state planning, while preserving the Governor’s emergency authority.
The bill amends § 62.1-44.38 of the Code of Virginia, strengthening state water-resources planning and reporting requirements. It expands the analytical duties of the Board and DEQ in basin planning, regional coordination, and drought evaluation, and it authorizes more detailed registration and disclosure of water withdrawal and use data by large water users. The changes affect water utilities, large industrial and commercial users, agricultural irrigators above specified thresholds, and data centers receiving water service, while also influencing local governments and regional planning bodies involved in water supply management.
The available record suggests the bill was enacted without recorded committee debate or vote detail in the provided materials, and it ultimately became law as Chapter 623. The overall tone of the legislation is administrative and planning-oriented, focusing on transparency, drought preparedness, and water-supply risk management rather than on punitive regulation. Its enactment indicates general legislative support for improved water data collection and regional planning.
The most likely points of contention are the expanded reporting obligations and the specific attention to data centers, which are singled out for monthly water-use reporting. Large water users may view the new data registration and location requirements as burdensome or intrusive, while localities and utilities may be concerned about the cost and complexity of more detailed reporting and planning. Another possible issue is the Potomac River drought-region provision, which formalizes a distinct planning framework for affected localities, though the bill preserves gubernatorial authority during declared drought emergencies.