62.1-44.36 - Responsibility of State Water Control Board; formulation of policy.
§ 62.1-44.36. Responsibility of State Water Control Board; formulation ofpolicy.
Being cognizant of the crucial importance of the Commonwealth's waterresources to the health and welfare of the people of Virginia, and of theneed of a water supply to assure further industrial growth and economicprosperity for the Commonwealth, and recognizing the necessity for continuouscooperative planning and effective state-level guidance in the use of waterresources, the State Water Control Board is assigned the responsibility forplanning the development, conservation and utilization of Virginia's waterresources.
The Board shall continue the study of existing water resources of thisCommonwealth, means and methods of conserving and augmenting such waterresources, and existing and contemplated uses and needs of water for allpurposes. Based upon these studies and such policies as have been initiatedby the Division of Water Resources, and after an opportunity has been givento all concerned state agencies and political subdivisions to be heard, theBoard shall formulate a coordinated policy for the use and control of all thewater resources of the Commonwealth and issue a statement thereof. Informulating the Commonwealth's water resources policy, the Board shall, amongother things, take into consideration but not be limited to the followingprinciples and policies:
(1) Existing water rights are to be protected and preserved subject to theprinciple that all of the state waters belong to the public for use by thepeople for beneficial purposes without waste;
(2) Adequate and safe supplies should be preserved and protected for humanconsumption, while conserving maximum supplies for other beneficial uses.When proposed uses of water are in mutually exclusive conflict or whenavailable supplies of water are insufficient for all who desire to use them,preference shall be given to human consumption purposes over all other uses;
(3) It is in the public interest that integration and coordination of uses ofwater and augmentation of existing supplies for all beneficial purposes beachieved for the maximum economic development thereof for the benefit of theCommonwealth as a whole;
(4) In considering the benefits to be derived from drainage, considerationshall also be given to possible harmful effects upon ground water suppliesand protection of wildlife;
(5) The maintenance of stream flows sufficient to support aquatic life and tominimize pollution shall be fostered and encouraged;
(6) Watershed development policies shall be favored, whenever possible, forthe preservation of balanced multiple uses, and project construction andplanning with those ends in view shall be encouraged;
(7) Due regard shall be given in the planning and development of waterrecreation facilities to safeguard against pollution.
The statement of water resource policy shall be revised from time to timewhenever the Board shall determine it to be in the public interest.
The initial statement of state water resource policy and any subsequentrevisions thereof shall be furnished by the Board to all state agencies andto all political subdivisions of the Commonwealth.
(Code 1950, § 10-17.1; 1966, c. 561; 1972, c. 728.)