Northampton Supervisors unanimously approve resolution strongly condemning deep well injection

The Northampton County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday night to formally oppose any industrial deep well injection of waste over the Eastern Shore’s sole source of drinking water, citing concerns about irreversible risks to public health and the local economy.

In his first official meeting as County Administrator, Matt Spuck presented the resolution outlining strong opposition to the practice, which involves injecting organic or industrial waste deep underground. While the specific proposal prompting the resolution is located in Accomack County, Spuck said that the potential impact reaches far beyond county lines.

The proposed site sits above the federally designated Eastern Shore sole source aquifer, the only drinking water supply for both Accomack and Northampton counties and Spuck noted that Northampton County has no realistic alternative water source should contamination occur.

“If deep well injection ever resulted in casing failure, upward migration, or other contamination pathways, the consequences would be catastrophic and potentially irreversible,” he said said during the presentation.

The resolution takes several concrete steps. It formally establishes Northampton County’s opposition to industrial deep well injection over the aquifer, directs staff to engage state and federal legislative delegations, and petitions the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to apply heightened scrutiny and restrictions to any such proposals. It also authorizes coordination with Accomack County and regional groundwater partners, with the county attorney preparing potential legal strategies.

The resolution allows the County to pursue state-level legislation that would prohibit industrial deep well injection in areas dependent on a single source aquifer, preventing counties from having to fight similar proposals on a case-by-case basis.

The board then voted unanimously to adopt the resolution and move forward immediately with legislative and regulatory efforts.

“This is one we do need to do,” said newly elected Board Chairman Dixon Leatherbury.