Virginia § 62.1-274 - Potomac Aquifer Recharge Monitoring Laboratory

§ 62.1-274. Potomac Aquifer Recharge Monitoring Laboratory

A. The Potomac Aquifer Recharge Monitoring Laboratory is established and shall be located at a suitable location in the Hampton Roads region as selected by Old Dominion University (ODU) and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPI) and as approved by HRSD.

B. 1. The first Co-Director of the Laboratory (the ODU Director) shall be a member of the faculty of ODU who has appropriate technical and scientific knowledge and shall be appointed by the president of ODU with the concurrence of the Director of the Department and the State Health Commissioner.

2. The ODU Director shall be under the general supervision of the president of ODU and shall carry out specific duties imposed upon him by the president. The ODU Director also shall carry out the duties listed in this section and in so doing shall act at the direction of the Potomac Aquifer Recharge Oversight Committee established by § 62.1-272.

C. 1. The second Co-Director of the Laboratory (the VPI Director) shall be a member of the faculty of VPI who has appropriate technical and scientific knowledge and shall be appointed by the president of VPI with the concurrence of the Director of the Department and the State Health Commissioner.

2. The VPI Director shall be under the general supervision of the president of VPI and shall carry out specific duties imposed upon him by the president. The VPI Director also shall carry out the duties listed in this section and in so doing shall act at the direction of the Committee.

D. The ODU Director and the VPI Director shall coordinate with each other in efficiently and effectively carrying out the duties of the Laboratory.

E. Subject to the approval of the Committee, the Directors may apply for, accept, and expend grants, gifts, donations, and appropriated funds from public or private sources; employ personnel; and enter into contracts to carry out the purposes of this section.

F. The Laboratory shall work cooperatively with relevant technical experts as appropriate and necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter, including experts at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, The College of William and Mary in Virginia, Christopher Newport University, the University of Virginia, and other universities, agencies, and departments of the Commonwealth, and the U.S. Geological Survey.

G. The Laboratory shall:

1. Monitor the impact of the SWIFT Project on the Potomac Aquifer by reviewing and synthesizing relevant water quality data;

2. Identify needs and recommend options for filling gaps in the monitoring of the Potomac Aquifer, such as by recommending changes to monitoring locations and protocols;

3. Conduct sampling and analysis of SWIFT Project water and groundwater on a local scale near SWIFT Project injections to verify monitoring data reported by HRSD, and transmit the results of such analyses to the Director of the Department, the State Health Commissioner, and HRSD;

4. Generate, assimilate, interpret, manage, and consolidate data to help inform decision making related to the impact of the SWIFT Project on the Potomac Aquifer. These actions may include the creation of a clearinghouse for aquifer and SWIFT Project data and the synthesis and dissemination of information to various audiences, including the public and the scientific community; and

5. Advance understanding of the Potomac Aquifer, aquifer science, managed aquifer recharge, water reuse treatment technology, and advanced water treatment, through research, analysis, or modeling.

H. The Laboratory shall focus initially on meeting the demonstration-phase needs of the SWIFT Project; however, development of the Laboratory shall be planned in a manner to support its timely and cost-effective expansion to meet the increased needs associated with the phased full-scale implementation of the SWIFT Project.

2019, cc. 54, 58.