DEQ Study Finds Growing Pressure on Eastern Virginia Groundwater

A new Virginia Department of Environmental Quality study says the Eastern Shore’s groundwater supply faces increasing pressure and has limited capacity for significant new withdrawals.

The study, completed under Senate Joint Resolution 25, examined groundwater supplies east of Interstate 95, including the Eastern Shore Groundwater Management Area covering Accomack and Northampton counties.

According to DEQ, the confined Yorktown-Eastover aquifer system accounts for approximately 95% of reported and estimated groundwater withdrawals within the Eastern Shore management area.

The report also found that chloride concentrations are increasing locally in portions of the Eastern Shore. Rising chloride levels can indicate saltwater moving into freshwater aquifers, potentially affecting drinking water, agriculture and other uses.

DEQ said increased pumping can alter natural groundwater-flow patterns and contribute to saltwater intrusion. Private domestic wells present another challenge because their withdrawals are lawful but generally are not reported directly to the agency. DEQ must estimate that usage using census and water-use data.

The report concludes that Virginia’s Coastal Plain aquifer system, including the Eastern Shore, has limited capacity for substantial new groundwater withdrawals. However, the summary does not provide separate withdrawal totals or supply projections for Accomack and Northampton counties.

Dixon Leatherbury, chairman of the Eastern Shore of Virginia Groundwater Committee, said the report largely confirms conditions the committee has monitored for approximately a decade.

“The interesting thing is these are things the groundwater committee has been aware of and looking at for 10 years,” Leatherbury said. “All this information is known by the committee and everyone who has served on it.”

Leatherbury said the Eastern Shore has a limited groundwater supply within both the Yorktown-Eastover and Columbia aquifers, making the central question how the region manages and protects those resources.

While the report may be concerning to residents who do not regularly follow groundwater issues, Leatherbury said other areas of Virginia may face more serious conditions.

“This is a good representation and good depiction of what is going on,” he said. “But I think the good news is the Eastern Shore Groundwater Committee has been long aware of these things and has been working on them behind the scenes.”

Leatherbury said monitoring wells located throughout Accomack and Northampton counties are reviewed regularly. The wells track conditions including salinity levels and aquifer depth.

“The Groundwater Committee keeps a sharp eye on that, and it’s very stable,” he said.

DEQ said Virginia’s groundwater regulations have helped stabilize supplies, but groundwater availability remains constrained and will require continued monitoring and careful review of major new withdrawal proposals.

The Eastern Shore of Virginia Groundwater Committee will meet Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 10 a.m. at the Eastern Shore of Virginia Chamber of Commerce building in Melfa.