July 2026 Newsletter

Timely Information for Virginia's Waterworks

Significant Drought Continues 

Drought Advisory Map from

Governor Spanberger's Statement, July 15, 2026

The Commonwealth of Virginia continues to experience significant drought conditions with the entire state classified under some level of drought status. On July 15, 2026, Governor Spanberger issued a statement urging increased, commonsense water conservation efforts in the Roanoke region and statewide in light of worsening drought. Greater than 50% of the state is in severe drought and an additional 25% is experiencing extreme drought. This is not expected to improve substantially in the short term.

By the numbers - Statewide Waterworks Updates

As of July 16, 2026

• 50% of customers served by community waterworks are under voluntary or mandatory use restrictions
• Reported status from 281 regulated waterworks:
  • 29 systems providing public education on water efficiency
  • 224 public waterworks have implemented voluntary restrictions
  • 28 public waterworks have implemented mandatory water restrictions
  • Of these systems, 57 rely on surface or purchased water and 224 rely on groundwater

Notify the Office of Drinking Water if water levels or production capacity declines, your utility needs assistance, you have updates to report, or if emergency support may be needed. Use ODW's Contact Us webpage for phone and email information.

Recommendations

The Office of Drinking Water recommends that waterworks and their customers implement water conservation measures including, but not limited to: 

• Develop and implement an emergency response plan for extreme drought if you do not have one in place. VDH has a template available for you to customize: VDH Emergency Response Plan Template (pdf)
• Monitor water system demand, system pressures, and storage levels.
• Monitor indicators of source water capacity:
  • Raw water pumping rates
  • Well static water levels
  • Well drawdown water levels
  • Raw water reservoir levels
  • Stream flows
• Increase outreach and communication to customers about conserving water, reporting leaks, and adopting household water‑saving practices.
• Reduce or eliminate non‑essential activities such as unrestricted irrigation, non‑essential flushing of water lines, and other discretionary uses.

Utilities in Severe and Extreme Drought areas are encouraged to initiate voluntary or mandatory non‑essential water use restrictions.  Communicate these conservation measures as soon as possible to customers through billing inserts, media releases, radio, television, and website.

Current Drought Information: 

• Office of Drinking Water Drought Monitoring Program (VDH)
• Department of Environmental Quality Drought Homepage (DEQ)
• US Drought Monitor
• Drought.gov Website (NOAA)

Additional Resources:

• Virginia Drought Assessment & Response Plan (pdf)
• Hauling Water Guidance – Chapter 16 of the Field Operations Manual (VDH)
• Mutual Aid Organization for Virginia Waterworks: vawarn.org
• Managing Your Private Well During a Drought Handout (VDH)
• Drought Response & Recovery for Water Utilities Website (EPA)
• CISA Drought and Infrastructure Planning Guide (pdf)
• US Climate Resilience Toolkit(website)

You can't outrun a drought.

Paying for Upgrades & Repairs

by Sarah Rowe

Capacity Development Supervisor

Over the past 10 years, access to grants and low-interest construction loan funds has been declining. This should not be news to anyone reading this. What’s a utility to do? There are a lot of resources on budgeting, asset management, and capital improvement planning. A good place to start is on the Resources Page of the Environmental Finance Center Network. Want to dive into other funding options? Check out the EPA Water Finance Clearinghouse.

New on the horizon is an opportunity to lease equipment that your utility needs. Have you known for a while that you need to replace your old meters, but the cost of the project is too overwhelming? Or maybe there’s a piece of equipment that could make a big difference in your operations, but your utility doesn’t have the cash to buy it upfront? You may want to consider leasing.

Leasing is a way to spread out an asset’s cost across the length of its useful life, making it easier to manage your cash flow and protect your reserves. That means more cash on hand for unexpected emergencies or other capital improvement projects. Leasing also builds in a timeline to replace assets as they become worn out, which for meters, can be as little as 10-15 years. Once a lease is up, you can choose to renew it, return the meters, or purchase them for just $1. You choose which meters you want and the cost of installation is included in the lease financing.

How is all this possible? The National Rural Water Association (NRWA) has partnered with CoBank Leasing. If you’re a rural nonprofit or municipal waterworks, then you’re eligible to take advantage of this unique financing option.

In addition to water meters, leasing is also available for generators, pumps, backhoes, fleet vehicles, and more. The minimum cost for a water meter lease is $100,000, while the minimum for vehicles and equipment is $25,000. Lease length ranges from 2-10 years.

If your utility has been putting off a project because of an upfront cost barrier, then consider exploring whether leasing is the right option for you.

For more information, check out the information on the NRWA website or email NRWALeasing@cobank.com

Funding Updates and Resources

Applications Due August 7th

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH), Office of Drinking Water (ODW) is receiving applications for a variety of uses as indicated in the table below. Please note the deadline for construction, programattic setaside suggestions, and LEAP funds are due August 7, 2026, by 5:00pm EST.

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

Lead & Copper Update:

Protocol Addressing Galvanized Requiring Replacement (GRR) Lines 

Disaster Management for Water & Wastewater Utilities (MGT-343)

July 28-29, 2026
8:00 am – 5:00 pm

North Chesterfield, Virginia

Cost: FREE, Registration Required

The "Disaster Management for Water & Wastewater Utilities" course is designed to provide training to water and wastewater professionals on preparing for, responding to, and recovering from natural or human-caused disasters that threaten water and wastewater facilities and systems. 

Topics Covered in this course include:

• Threats to Water & Wastewater Systems
• Disaster Planning and Management
• Disaster Mitigation
• Disaster Response
• Disaster Recovery

For more details and registration, see the event flyer.

Hosted by DHS/FEMA National Training Program, Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX),Texas A&M University System
and the National Emergency Response and Recovery Training Center (NERRTC)

Water Sector Cybersecurity Vulnerability Snapshot Quarterly Webinar

July 29, 2026
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Virtual via Zoom

Cost: FREE, Registration Required

Join EPA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) for an overview of cybersecurity vulnerabilities identified at water systems through EPA’s Proactive Vulnerability Identification Program and CISA’s vulnerability scanning services. Water systems will receive recommended mitigations and resources to help reduce these vulnerabilities and strengthen resilience.

EPA Region 3 Virtual Workshop: Planning for an Emergency Drinking Water Supply (EDWS) Guidance

August 4, 2026
9:00 am – 3:30 pm

Virtual via Zoom

Cost: FREE, Registration Required

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hosting a virtual workshop for water utilities on Planning for an Emergency Drinking Water Supply (EDWS) Guidance

The workshop will focus on utility and state case studies and lessons learned on providing an EDWS during a large-scale or extended drinking water outage. Participants will learn how to better incorporate EDWS procedures into their emergency response plans and coordinate on an EDWS during an incident.

This interactive workshop is intended for water utilities, state drinking water primacy agency staff, and water-sector partners, including rural water associations, and other technical assistance providers. 

Small System Operator Training: Achieve & Maintain Compliance with the SDWA - In Person & Free!

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.

Establishing a Successful and Sustainable Waterworks: Revenues, Rates, and Funding

August 25 - 27, 2026

Roanoke, Virginia

Cost: $150 (includes lodging) or $100 (commuter)

Registration Deadline: August 15, 2026

In the present economic climate, it is critical that waterworks personnel understand and implement a business plan that allows for an analysis of needs, budget development, and capital improvements. As a part of the planning process, one needs to consider the appropriate rate structure for a community, potential sources of grants or low interest loans, and communication with decision makers and the public. All of these subjects will be covered through lecture, class discussions, and hands-on computer activities. This course is recommended for waterworks owners, utility directors and managers, board members, and senior operators and financial staff.

Participants will receive 22 contact hours for successful completion of this course.

Groundwater Math for Small Systems

September 29 - October 1, 2026

Roanoke, Virginia

Cost: $150 (includes lodging) or $100 (commuter)

Registration Deadline: September 19, 2026

This course focuses on the math associated with small systems, ranging in classification from Class 6 to 4. The course is also designed to complement our short course, Basic Groundwater Course for Small Systems, which has been offered and popular for several years. Among the topics addressed in this second groundwater course over a 3 day period are basic math, treatment systems, disinfection, water source, administrative math, hydraulics, and chemical feeders. This course is recommended for current and potential operators of Class 6 to Class 4 waterworks.

Participants will receive 2.1 CEUs (21 contact hours) for successful completion of this course.

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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Prepared by the VDH Office of Drinking Water

 Julie M. Floyd, Editor

VDH Office of Drinking Water

Contact Us | Website

Waterworks After-Hours Emergency Call Center: 1-866-531-3068