A BILL to amend and reenact § 62.1-44.38 of the Code of Virginia, relating to certain data from water users; water use consumption of data centers.
HB589 amends Virginia’s water planning statute, § 62.1-44.38, to require the State Water Control Board to collect and use additional data from water users when preparing river basin plans and water supply reports. The bill focuses on improving the Commonwealth’s ability to estimate current and future water withdrawals and demand across major categories of users, with particular attention to data centers’ water use and consumption. It also directs the Board to use data-driven methods and multiple assumptions when assessing water supply risk over different time frames.
More broadly, the bill fits into the state’s existing framework for basin-by-basin water resource planning. It would affect how the Board evaluates drought conditions, minimum instream flows, public water system capacity, and the ability of surface and groundwater supplies to meet future demand. By adding more detailed data collection and analysis, the bill seeks to strengthen water planning and forecasting for localities, regions, and major river basins across Virginia.
The bill would amend § 62.1-44.38 of the Code of Virginia, expanding the information used in state water resource planning and basin reports. Its practical effect would be to require more detailed accounting of water use by significant users, including data centers, and to improve projections of withdrawals, supply adequacy, and drought-related risk. The affected parties would include the State Water Control Board, local water supply managers, the Virginia Department of Health, and large water users such as data centers and other industrial or commercial users.
The available record shows no recorded votes or committee transcript discussion, and the bill was left in the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources. Based on the bill’s subject matter, the measure appears to be a technical planning and data-collection proposal rather than a broad policy overhaul. The absence of recorded debate makes it difficult to identify a clear partisan or stakeholder sentiment from the legislative history provided.
The main point of potential contention is the bill’s focus on data centers, which are large and growing water users in Virginia and may face scrutiny over their water consumption and local impacts. Supporters would likely favor better data and more accurate water planning, while opponents or affected industry stakeholders could be concerned about reporting burdens, regulatory attention, or implications for future permitting and resource allocation. Another possible area of debate is whether the added data requirements are necessary or duplicative of existing water planning tools.