Mission H2O welcomes new members. Our membership year runs from June 1 to May 31 of each year. Interested parties may join at any time for a prorated annual fee. The annual membership fee is $5,000. If you are interested in participating, please complete the registration form below.
To download the form Click here.
For the Groundwater Subgroup subscription form click here.
Goals and Initiatives
June 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024
I. Create a Network for Discussion and Collaboration on Water Resource Issues
II. Maintain Dialogue with Legislators and Regulators About Water Resource Management
A. Maintain communications with State Water Commission members including proposing potential Commission agenda items.
B. Collaborate with the Secretary of Natural Resources Office and policy staff at the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Department of Health (VDH) and Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) on water resource-related regulatory and legislative proposals.
C. Maintain an emphasis on the importance of the Administrative Process Act and involvement of the regulated community in regulatory development.
III. Monitor Implementation of State Water Resources Plan and Any Related Regulatory Changes
A. Monitor DEQ actions to address challenges identified in the State Water Resources Plan and Annual Water Resources Report, particularly relating to grandfathered withdrawals, environmental flow studies and/or criteria, and the potential for establishment of new groundwater management areas or surface water management areas.
IV. Protect Grandfathering Provision for Surface Water Withdrawals (Va. Code § 62.1-44.15:22)
A. Coordinate an approach/response to the DEQ re-interpretation of grandfathering provision.
B. Monitor agency permitting developments, including DEQ CWA Section 316(b), Army Corps, VDH and DWR requirements, that could affect grandfathered withdrawals and water intake-related requirements. Develop strategy for addressing such developments.
V. Coordinate Collaboration and Collective Participation on Developments Impacting Virginia Water Supply Management
A. Participate in development of regulations to update the regional water supply planning requirements and establishing regional planning.
B. Participate in the Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Advisory Committee. Propose topics for consideration, including groundwater trading, emerging contaminants/PFAS, model maintenance and mandatory connection requirements. Report out to membership on the work of the Committee.
C. Participate in the VDH stakeholder group focused on development of a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for PFAS. Report out to membership on the work of VDH and DEQ relating to sampling and development of regulatory programs focused on PFAS and related constituents.
D. Serve on the Waterworks Advisory Committee and through that process monitor VDH regulatory and guidance developments, including commenting on the revisions to the waterworks regulation.
E. Participate in species and habitat-related regulatory developments, including DWR’s proposed incidental take permitting program for migratory birds, changes to DEQ’s Coastal Zone Management Program, and development of legislation and regulations relating to compensatory mitigation, advocating for development of guidance and standards for any such mitigation. This includes evaluating development and implementation of the Wildlife Corridors and other requirements relating to ecological cores.
F. Consider options for improving transparency of DWR withdrawal-related requirements.
G. Participate in studies and any related regulatory developments pertaining to environmental justice and tribal consultation, and how such developments could impact the water withdrawal permitting, planning or management process.
H. Track Virginia’s E-Flow study, other environmental flow-related actions at the state and federal level, and other efforts focused on regulation of flow. Coordinate peer review options and other strategies to assess results of these studies and their implementation.
I. Monitor issues relating to salt applications, sodium standards, PFAS and emerging contaminants.
J. Monitor updates related to the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan as they pertain to the regulated community.
K. Monitor DCR and other agency updates related to dams (dam safety, floodplain management, aging dams, etc.).
L. Consider Freedom of Information Act options and implications for protection of important infrastructure.
VI. Advocate for Regional Water Supply Studies/Solutions
A. Eastern Groundwater Management Area.
B. James River.
C. Maintenance of Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin.
D. Regional opportunities for development of alternative water sources.
VII. Monitor Potential Regional Projects
A. SWIFT.
B. Reservoirs.
C. Other Aquifer Injection.
VIII. Legislative Initiative and Legislative Tracking
A. Follow up on implementation of legislation to remove APA exemption f for DWR species-related guidance documents.
B. Legislative preview provided prior to General Assembly session to identify MH2O positions on water supply-related legislation and opportunities for member involvement.
C. Weekly legislative updates throughout the session.
D. Member conference calls at start of session and following cross-over.
E. Coordinate offensive and defensive legislative strategies.
IX. Annual Meeting
Annual Dues: $5,000
For more information on Mission H2O, please contact Andrea Wortzel.