The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has approved Caroline County’s plan to withdraw up to 9 million gallons of water per day from the Rappahannock River. The project, aimed at providing residential water, removed industrial cooling from the original request. Plans include a new intake, pump station, and pipeline to a treatment plant. The approval follows public opposition and legal challenges over eminent domain and environmental concerns, with most participants in the DEQ review process opposing the project. Officials say the reduction in daily withdrawal addresses some of those concerns.
