A Warren County supervisor made his pitch on Tuesday for a way to protect the area's groundwater amid industrial growth.
North River District Supervisor Richard A. Jamieson presented a proposed ordinance at the board's work session that would prohibit future industrial facilities from tapping into the groundwater supply.
Chairman Jerome K. "Jay" Butler, Vice Chairman John W. Stanmeyer and supervisors Cheryl L. Cullers and Hugh B. Henry attended the work session where Jamieson made his presentation.
"This isn't about abstract or regulatory theory; it's about whether Warren County residents will have reliable access to clean water from their wells 10, 20 or 30 years from now," Jamieson said.
Natural sources such as droughts already stress the county's groundwater, Jamieson explained. The county is vulnerable now without development pressure.
A typical household uses 80-100 gallons of water per day. A small industrial facility uses 50,000-100,000 gallons per day; a large data center uses 360,000-5 million gallons per day. According to a Virginia Tech study, a large data center can consume as much water as a small city and a single large facility uses as many as 1,000-plus homes.
"And here's the critical part: Most of that water is consumptive; it's lost to evaporation and cooling systems; it never returns to the aquifer," Jamieson said. "This fundamentally changes the water equation in any community."
Water consumption by data centers in Loudoun County increased 250% from 2019 to 2023, and 900 million gallons was consumed in 2023 alone, Jamieson reported. Approximately 2 billion gallons of water was consumed in the Northern Virginia area -- a 63% increase since 2019. Prince William County residents are reporting wells going dry near planned data centers. Data centers are projected to consume 33% of the Potomac River's available water basin by 2050.
"This shows you the pattern: Once industrial water consumption starts in a region, it doesn't stay modest; it accelerates rapidly," Jamieson said. "That's why proactive protection matters."
The problem is irreversible, Jamieson said. A Loudoun County study found that groundwater conditions have worsened over the decades. Wells, springs and ponds have dried up from development. Once aquifers are drained, restoration is almost impossible. Property owners bear the costs.
The proposed Groundwater Protection Ordinance prohibits new industrial businesses from using groundwater wells; protects residential and agricultural water uses; allows industrial development using municipal water connections; grandfathers existing businesses with conditional exemptions; prevents conflicts; and maintains rural character while allowing development.
"This is targeted -- reasonable protection of a specific resource from a specific, documented threat," Jamieson said.
The ordinance does not ban industrial development, affect residential wells or agricultural operations, impact existing businesses or prevent economic growth.
Jamieson cites state code sections that allow the county to enact groundwater protection restrictions. Eastern Shore counties operate similar ordinances. Pittsylvania County rejected a water-intensive industrial project this year. Charles City County has a comprehensive water-protection ordinance.
But other supervisors who expressed support for protecting the county's groundwater also raised concerns about the proposed ordinance. Supervisors suggested the language needed some clarification and tweaks.
Henry said an ordinance couldn't regulate general "industrial" use. An ordinance could target high-volume users such as data centers, Henry said. But low-volume users on industrial property, those with few employees and use water only for bathrooms, shouldn't be restricted, Henry said.
Henry said he's not opposed to a regulation targeting extremely high-volume wells.
"Before moving forward, I do have some real concerns about the way some of that's written and how it could impact some of the small businesses that are in the industrial zone," Henry said.
Jamieson said he appreciated Henry's comments.
"Definitions are key in the ordinance so there definitely has to be a definition for what industrial consumption is, not simply being in an industrial zone," Jamieson said.
Cullers asked how such an ordinance would affect McKay Springs, a Front Royal-owned property on U.S. 340-522 north of town that has been studied as a possible water source. Jamieson said he had no idea but later explained that the proposed ordinance applies only to groundwater use by heavy industry.
Cullers said she, as a lifelong wellwater user, has concerns about recent droughts and their effect on the Shenandoah River.
"It's definitely something we need to look at," Cullers said. "I'm just a bit concerned about this and I appreciate all the work you put into this but I'm just concerned it's got some issues in it."
Stanmeyer echoed Cullers' concerns.
"I think the overall need for this is somewhat compelling and I'm on wellwater," Stanmeyer said. "I've been blessed that our well has been good the whole time I've been here but I've heard people whose (wells) have gone and they've had to dig a deeper well even during our recent drought activity, to say nothing of putting new stresses on the aquifers.
"I'm also concerned with the karst or the limestone topography in certain places and the susceptibility of certain areas to sinkholes when the water table goes down," Stanmeyer said. "That is nature's way but I prefer we don't accelerate it."
Henry, a former Planning Commission member, then commented:
"I'd also like to mention, from my planning experience, that I've always had the idea that, at some point, the county needs to go into the water business," Henry said. "Other counties have utilized those old quarries for reservoirs. McKay Spring would be another option."