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Virginia Administrative Code
Title 9. Environment
Agency 25. State Water Control Board
Chapter 910. General Permit for Use of Surficial Aquifer on the Eastern Shore
11/21/2024

9VAC25-910-10. Definitions.

The words and terms used in this chapter shall have the meanings defined in the Ground Water Management Act of 1992 (§ 62.1-254 et seq. of the Code of Virginia) and Groundwater Withdrawal Regulations (9VAC25-610), except that for the purposes of this chapter, the following words and terms shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Adverse impact" means reductions in groundwater levels or changes in groundwater quality that limit the ability of any existing groundwater user lawfully withdrawing or authorized to withdraw groundwater at the time of permit or special exception issuance to continue to withdraw the quantity and quality of groundwater required by the existing use. Existing groundwater users include all those persons who have been granted a groundwater withdrawal permit subject to this chapter and all other persons who are excluded from permit requirements by 9VAC25-610-50.

"Applicant" means a person filing an application to initiate or enlarge a groundwater withdrawal in a groundwater management area.

"Area of impact" means the areal extent of each aquifer where more than one foot of drawdown is predicted to occur due to a proposed withdrawal.

"Beneficial use" includes domestic (including public water supply), agricultural, commercial, and industrial uses.

"Department" or "DEQ" means the Department of Environmental Quality.

"Eastern Shore Groundwater Management Area" means the groundwater management area declared by the board encompassing the Counties of Accomack and Northampton.

"Groundwater" means any water, except capillary moisture, beneath the land surface in the zone of saturation or beneath the bed of any stream, lake, reservoir, or other body of surface water wholly or partially within the boundaries of this Commonwealth, whatever the subsurface geologic structure in which such water stands, flows, percolates, or otherwise occurs.

"Mitigate" means to take actions necessary to assure that all existing groundwater users at the time of issuance of a permit or special exception who experience adverse impacts continue to have access to the amount and quality of groundwater needed for existing uses.

"Permit" means a groundwater withdrawal permit issued under the Ground Water Management Act of 1992 permitting the withdrawal of a specified quantity of groundwater under specified conditions in a groundwater management area.

"Permittee" means a person that currently has an effective groundwater withdrawal permit, or coverage under a general permit, issued under the Ground Water Act of 1992.

"Surface water and groundwater conjunctive use system" means an integrated water supply system wherein surface water is the primary source and groundwater is a supplemental source that is used to augment the surface water source when the surface water source is not able to produce the amount of water necessary to support the annual water demands of the system.

Statutory Authority

§§ 62.1-256 and 62.1-262.1 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 39, Issue 7, eff. December 21, 2022.

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