Virginia Administrative Code › Title 9 - ENVIRONMENT › Agency 25 - STATE WATER CONTROL BOARD › Chapter 920 - GENERAL PERMIT FOR THE USE OF IRRIGATION WITHDRAWALS FROM THE SURFICIAL AQUIFER GREATER THAN 300,000 GALLONS IN ANY ONE MONTH › Section 9VAC25-920-10 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
The words and terms used in this chapter shall have the
				  meanings defined in § 62.1-254 et seq. of the Code of Virginia (Ground
				  Water Management Act of 1992) and 9VAC25-610 (Groundwater Withdrawal
				  Regulation), 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 that 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.
"Agricultural irrigation" means irrigation that is used to
				  support any operation devoted to bona fide production of crops, animals, or
				  fowls, including the production of fruits and vegetables of any kinds; meat,
				  dairy, and poultry products; nuts, tobacco, and floral products; and the
				  production and harvest of products from silvicultural activity.
"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.
"Board" means the State Water Control Board. When used
				  outside the context of the promulgation of regulations, including regulations
				  to establish general permits "board" means the "Department of Environmental
				  Quality".
"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.
"Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Area" means the
				  groundwater management area declared by the board encompassing the Counties of
				  Charles City, Essex, Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, King George, King
				  and Queen, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, New Kent,
				  Northumberland, Prince George, Richmond, Southampton, Surry, Sussex,
				  Westmoreland, and York; the areas of Caroline, Chesterfield, Fairfax, Hanover,
				  Henrico, Prince William, Spotsylvania, and Stafford Counties east of Interstate
				  95; and the Cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton, Hopewell, Newport News,
				  Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and
				  Williamsburg.
"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.
"Groundwater management area" means a geographically defined
				  groundwater area in which the board has deemed the levels, supply, or quality
				  of groundwater to be adverse to public welfare, health, and safety.
"Irrigation" means the controlled application through
				  man-made systems to supply water requirements not satisfied by rainfall to
				  assist in the growing or maintenance of vegetative growth.
"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.
"Nonagricultural irrigation" means all irrigation other than
				  agricultural irrigation.
"Permit" means a groundwater withdrawal permit issued under
				  the Ground Water Management Act of 1992 (§ 62.1-254 et seq. of the Code of
				  Virginia) 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.
"Virginia Drought Evaluation Regions" means those drought
				  evaluation regions encompassing the Counties of Charles City, Essex,
				  Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, King George, King and Queen, King
				  William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, New Kent, Northumberland, Prince
				  George, Richmond, Southampton, Surry, Sussex, Westmoreland, and York; the areas
				  of Caroline, Chesterfield, Fairfax, Hanover, Henrico, Prince William,
				  Spotsylvania, and Stafford Counties east of Interstate 95; and the Cities of
				  Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton, Hopewell, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson,
				  Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg.
Statutory Authority: §§ 62.1-256, 62.1-258.1, and
					 62.1-266 of the Code of Virginia.