On April 1, 2025, CSPDC staff, representatives from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and regional stakeholders gathered to kick-off the Shenandoah River 1 and Upper James River 1 Water Supply Plans. These plans are being developed in accordance with the Local and Regional Water Supply Planning Regulation (9VAC25-780), which requires their completion by 2029.
The Shenandoah River 1 regional planning unit includes Augusta and Rockingham counties; the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, and Waynesboro; and the towns of Bridgewater, Broadway, Craigsville, Dayton, Elkton, Grottoes, Mount Crawford, and Timberville.
The Upper James River 1 planning unit includes Bath, Highland, and Rockbridge counties; the cities of Buena Vista and Lexington; and the towns of Glasgow, Goshen, and Monterey.
To support initial planning efforts, the CSPDC has received approximately $20,000 in grant funding across the two regional units. This will help with early-stage activities such as developing a project management plan and timeline, conducting initial data collection, and local data requests.
The water supply planning process is a long-term, collaborative effort involving input from state agencies, regional entities, and local governments. The CSPDC will lead coordination of all planning efforts for both water supply plans, facilitating communication among DEQ, localities, and public service authorities, and overseeing data collection and plan development.