Subcommittee advances bill to require water suppliers to report data-center water use to DEQ

A Senate substitute for SB 553 requiring water suppliers that provide water to data centers to report the total volume supplied — including reclaimed water — to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality advanced out of the subcommittee on Tuesday.

Sponsor remarks explained the measure is intended to supply DEQ and the State Water Control Board with better time-series data (monthly when available, or quarterly) so planners can assess regional water-supply risk and the seasonality of data-center withdrawals. The substitute adds a delayed effective date of Jan. 1, 2027.

Conservation groups and watershed organizations urged the committee to support transparency. "This bill is straightforward, good governance," Jay Ford of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation said, arguing better data will help planning and restoration work.

Municipal and utility representatives supported the transparency goal but urged technical fixes to implementation. Chris Pomeroy of the Virginia Municipal Drinking Water Association and others recommended inserting limiting language so the reporting targets facilities with DEQ permits or otherwise match regulatory definitions, to avoid capturing small buildings that technically fall under a narrow tax-code definition of 'data center.'

DEQ said it had no administration position but provided technical input and noted the bill would improve modeling and planning. After discussion and proposed technical amendments, the committee voted to report the substitute out of the subcommittee for further consideration.

The measure now proceeds in the legislative process with technical language to be resolved at later stages.