HB 1642

Abstract

Coal ash ponds; well monitoring program; well testing. Requires each utility, defined in the bill as the owner or operator of a coal ash pond in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, to commission an independent well water test on behalf of the owner of any private well or public water supply well located within 1.5 miles of such coal ash pond by January 1, 2021, and requires such test to be conducted once per year during each of the five years following the approval of the closure of the coal ash pond and once every five years thereafter. The bill provides that if any test exceeds any U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Maximum Contaminant Level for drinking water, the utility shall provide water treatment or alternative water supplies, potentially including a connection to a city or county water utility, to the owner of the well.

Coal ash ponds; well monitoring program; drinking water well testing. Requires each utility, defined in the bill as the owner or operator of a coal ash pond, to commission an independent well water test on behalf of the owner of any well located within 1.5 miles of such coal ash pond by January 1, 2021, and requires such test to be conducted once per year during each of the five years following the approval of the closure of the coal ash pond and once every five years thereafter. The bill provides that if any test exceeds groundwater quality standards for constituents associated with coal ash, the Virginia Waste Management Board shall instruct the utility to provide alternative water supplies to the owner of the well. The bill requires the Department of Environmental Quality to consider the results of the tests in its permitting, monitoring, or enforcement proceedings.

Coal ash ponds; well monitoring program; drinking water well testing. The bill requires each utility to commission an independent well water test on behalf of the owner of each such well by January 1, 2021, and requires such test to be done once per year during each of the five years following the approval of the closure of a coal ash pond and once every five years thereafter. The bill provides that if any test exceeds groundwater quality standards for constituents associated with coal ash, the Virginia Waste Management Board shall instruct the utility to provide alternate water supplies to the owner of the well. The bill requires the Department of Environmental Quality to consider the results of the tests in its permitting, monitoring, or enforcement proceedings.