April 2026 Newsletter

Drought and Fire Risk Go Hand-In-Hand

Spring’s beauty in Virginia is hard to ignore, but so are our growing drought and fire risks: Virginia State Weather Briefing April 14, 2026.

Drought conditions are worsening in Virginia due to a lack of substantial rainfall. At this point, much of the Commonwealth has at least moderate drought (D1 or greater) conditions. Check out the Virginia DEQ Drought Website for the most recent reports from the Drought Monitoring Task Force and other essential information.

Compounding this, relative low humidity, dry fuels, and gusty winds have increased fire risk for much of the Commonwealth.

What does this mean for waterworks?

As drought conditions continue or worsen, water supplies are likely to decrease in both surface and ground water sources. An active fire season can put any waterworks under stress as it strives to provide water for fire suppression efforts and keep up with daily demands. Both of these scenarios benefit from planning and preparation while things are relatively quiet. 

Now is a good time to:

• Review and update drought plans, emergency contact lists, and communications plans.
• Review the "EPA Wildfire Incident Action Checklist" for a detailed planning list: Wildfire Incident Action Checklist
• Monitor water sources for quantity - record water levels.
• Communicate with local fire departments about water resources, communication expectations, and hydrant status.
• Meet with staff to discuss possible impacts of drought and fire on the utility and what roles they may have.

Be prepared for whatever comes your way.

Remember to keep in touch with your ODW Contact as situations change. 

2025 Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) Due July 1, 2026 Community Waterworks must deliver CCR to all customers

Key points to help you get started:

• 2025 CCR preparation guidelines are available on ODW’s CCR webpage.
• Review your water quality sample data and any violations in the Safe Drinking Water Information System, accessible through the Drinking Water Viewer.
• There are no new requirements for the calendar year 2025 CCR.

Draft CCR Review Support

• ODW Field Office staff are available to review draft CCRs before publication.
• Please share your draft CCR with your Field Office as early as possible, and no later than May 1, 2026.

Lead & Copper News

Lead and copper sampling requirements are changing for community and NTNC waterworks. Below you’ll find key deadlines and guidance to help you prepare. Also, check out the Funding Opportunities further down the page.

Have Questions? 

• Lead & Copper Resources on ODW Website
• Contact ODW
• ODW Website

Funding Opportunities

Update: Federal Construction Funding and Upcoming Deadlines April 15, 2026

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH), Office of Drinking Water (ODW) is still experiencing delays in receiving federal funding. These delays began during the Federal Government Shutdown and have continued due to uncertainty in the federal budget process.

While much still remains to be worked out, we would like to share the following updates:

• The EPA’s federal budget has now been finalized.
• On April 14, 2026, the EPA released the funding allocation amounts that determine how much funding VDH will receive and can distribute to drinking water projects.

VDH plans to:

• Send funding offers to successful FY2026 applicants in May 2026
• Send notifications to unsuccessful FY2026 applicants in May 2026

FY2027 Funding Solicitation

• VDH opened the Solicitation for FY2027 funding on March 26, 2026. More information can be found on the website at the following location: Drinking Water Funding Program Details & Application - Drinking Water and on Virginia’s Town Hall at the following location: Virginia Regulatory Town Hall View General Notice
• The deadline for this year’s funding solicitation is August 7, 2026, because of the delays in receiving federal funding information.
• VDH intends to provide information about last year’s funding decisions before applicants need to submit applications for this year.
• Waterworks with known lead service lines (LSL) are encouraged to apply for funding through our Lead Elimination Assistance Program (LEAP) program. More details in the Lead & Copper News section of this newsletter. 

Thank you for your continued interest in our funding programs. Please contact us with any questions – we’re here to help.

Anthony Hess

FCAP Division Director

Anthony.hess@vdh.virginia.gov

Financial & Construction Assistance Programs (FCAP)

Office of Drinking Water

Funding Available to Replace LSLs and Identify Materials in Unknown Service Lines

Community or Non-Profit Noncommunity Waterworks with known lead service lines (LSL) are encouraged to apply for funding through our Lead Elimination Assistance Program (LEAP) program to replace known lead service lines and to identify the materials of unknown service lines in waterworks with application also planning replace lead service lines.

Applications Due

August 7, 2026

The LEAP program continues to be supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) LSL funding and DWSRF funding.

VDEM Announces Application Period for FY24 and FY25 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)

FEMA has announced the release of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the FY24 & FY25 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant funding opportunity which includes a total of $1B in funding for this nationally competitive program.   The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) is currently accepting pre-applications and applications for this funding cycle. VDEM will provide additional details and upcoming webinar information soon!   VDEM Application Open Date: March 25, 2026 VDEM Application Close Date: May 25, 2026    The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program makes federal funds available for hazard mitigation activities with the goal of lowering future disaster costs. Key changes from previous years, include a shift toward narrower, construction-ready infrastructure projects, stronger emphasis on building codes, stricter funding caps per project, and streamlined review, while eliminating broad planning and phased funding paths that were previously accepted.   Allowable Project Types Capability- and Capacity-Building Activities – activities that directly support infrastructure resilience, such as the adoption, enforcement, and implementation of hazard-resistant building codes. These activities must be directly tied to infrastructure projects such as building code adoption/enforcement, related technical training and project scoping activities for specific infrastructure are eligible.    Hazard Mitigation Plan development or updates, and project scoping activities not directly supporting a specific infrastructure project are not eligible under BRIC. Hazard Mitigation Projects – cost-effective infrastructure and construction projects designed to increase resilience and public safety; reduce injuries and loss of life; and reduce damage and destruction to property, critical services, facilities, and infrastructure (including natural systems) from a multitude of natural hazards, including drought, wildfire, earthquakes, and the effects of natural weather disasters. Only infrastructure and construction projects that have, at a minimum, a conceptual design are eligible; phased projects are not eligible.   Application Submission All project applications, and supporting documentation, must be submitted through VDEM EM Grants. If you do not have a VDEM EM Grants account, please register for an account here and indicate the reason as BRIC application, and the program category as Hazard Mitigation Assistance. VDEM staff will review and approve your account request, at which point you can begin the pre-application and application process. Please do not attempt to submit your application in FEMA GO.   For more information on the application process and eligibility criteria, contact your locality’s VDEM regional hazard mitigation grant administrator listed here.   Thanks to VDEM for this article!

Stop by and see ODW at the VRWA Conference!

The Office of Drinking Water will have a booth at the Virginia Rural Water Association (VRWA) Annual Conference April 20-22, 2026, in Roanoke.

Have a question? Need information? Want to meet the person on the other end of the email or phone call? Stop by the booth upstairs!

VDH Office of Drinking Water is pleased to present this year's series of in-person and online courses offered through a contract with Virginia Tech. These courses are designed to prepare individuals to take initial or advanced licensing exams as well as learn more about owning and operating a public waterworks.

Applied Math and Basic Science for Waterworks Operators

Management, Methods, and Money: Understanding Concepts in Capacity Development

ODW is Hiring!

The Office of Drinking Water provides regulatory oversight and technical assistance to public waterworks across the state. Our team is made up of staff with broad experiences and background including biology, engineering, geology, administrative support, water operations, and laboratory experience. Check out our open positions at:

www.jobs.virginia.gov

Office of Drinking Water using GovDelivery for Communication 

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If you need to update your contact information, please reach out to:

Julie Floyd, Operator Certification & Training Manager, at julie.floyd@vdh.virginia.gov

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