Drought
- Roanoke region remains in emergency drought conditions despite rain in other areas
A map shows the Roanoke region of Virginia in emergency drought conditions in October 2026.
- Dinwiddie Residents Grill Haven Oak Data-Center Developers on Water, Power, and Battlefield Land
Tract’s ~1,000-acre campus proposal draws sharp Q&A at VSU as the company pivots to closed-loop cooling and drops buildings over a Civil War battlefield core.
- Wittman and Taylor Clash in VA-01 as National Spotlight Hits Virginia Midterms
Healthcare votes, H.R. 1 fallout and data-center costs define a district Trump won in 2024 but Spanberger carried in 2025.
- With United States House control hanging in the balance, Wittman faces Taylor in contentious Virginia-01 race
U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, left, is running for reelection in Virginia's 1st Congressional District, as Democratic challenger Shannon Taylor aims to unseat him.
- Spanberger declares drought emergency to speed hay deliveries for Virginia livestock
Dairy cows graze in Stanley, Va. (Photo by Parker Michels-Boyce/Virginia Mercury) Virginia farmers struggling with drought-damaged pastures will be able to receive larger hay deliveries under a state of emergency declared by Gov. Abigail Spanberger Wednesday.
- Data Center Development Could Triple Energy Demand if Unconstrained
On Monday, the Joint Legislative Audit Review Commission published its long-awaited Report about data centers.
- Virginia Lawmakers Press for Tighter Oversight of Data Center Growth
A Virginia congressional proposal would give local governments more tools to manage data center growth, including clearer rules for electricity demand, water use and community impacts.
- Chesapeake Bay Ospreys Endure Their Worst Breeding Season on Record
Researchers say osprey nests around the Chesapeake Bay produced fewer young than ever recorded, raising new questions about heat, drought, storms and food supplies.
- Governor Declares Drought Emergency to Speed Hay Deliveries to Farms
Executive Order 21 authorizes over-width hay transport after a statewide shortfall estimated at 500,000 tons.
- Virginia Beach Urges Residents to Cut Nonessential Water Use Amid Drought
Public utilities say reservoir levels are about 10 percent below normal after a dry 2026, the most serious local drought conditions since 2002.
- DEQ study throws cold water on data center development east of I-95
Among the many environmental, energy and economic concerns about the unconstrained spread of data centers in Virginia, the impact on drinking water supplies has ranked fairly low. That changed suddenly last week, with the release of a report that the administration of Gov. Abigail Spanberger seems to have tried to suppress. In compliance with […]
- Virginia Study Finds Hyperscale Data Centers Would Fail Groundwater Permit Criteria East of I-95
A 2026 report from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality concludes that a typical hyperscale data center requiring approximately three million gallons of groundwater per day would fail current permit evaluation criteria in nearly all locations across the Coastal Plain east of Interstate 95. The analysis forms part of a broader examination of groundwater supply […]
- Virginia Study Documents Groundwater Levels Below Sea Level and Reversed Flow Patterns in Coastal Plain
A 2026 report from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality finds that groundwater levels have dropped below sea level across large inland areas of the Coastal Plain east of Interstate 95. Decades of heavy pumping, especially from paper mills near Franklin and West Point, have reversed the natural predevelopment flow patterns in the aquifer system. […]
- Virginia Coastal Plain Groundwater Study Finds Limited Capacity for New Withdrawals East of I-95
A detailed report from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, released in 2026 as Senate Document No. 6, concludes that the groundwater supply in the Coastal Plain east of Interstate 95 has limited capacity for significant new withdrawals. Modeling of the Virginia Coastal Plain aquifer system indicates that most evaluated locations can support only small […]
- Four Virginia counties will pump almost 20 million gallons of water a day to Amazon.
How you look at something – the frame you use and your perspective – often influences what you see. This holds true with the issue of data centers and water use. Amazon recently reported that it withdrew a total of 2.5 billion gallons of water for data center cooling operations in 2025. That seems like […]
- Governor Abigail Spanberger calls for voluntary water conservation
This post was originally published on this site. The latest update by the Drought Monitoring Task Force of Virginia shows that Southside Virginia is still under a drought alert despite recent rain. Governor Abigail Spanberger is encouraging Virginians to take voluntary and commonsense steps to conserve and reduce water use. Abigail Spanberger encourages Virginians take […]
- Amid Virginia drought conditions, data centers face same restrictions as all water customers
About one-third of the state of Virginia is under extreme drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and Gov. Abigail Spanberger is urging citizens to conserve water. So when local water authorities implement restrictions on water use, are there specific carve outs and rules for data centers, which use hundreds of thousands of gallons […]
- Virginia braces for dangerous heat wave ahead of Fourth of July weekend
Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Wednesday urged Virginians to prepare for dangerous heat and humidity expected to blanket much of the commonwealth through the Fourth of July weekend, with forecasters warning heat index values could reach as high as 115 degrees in some areas. The National Weather Service said Virginia is expected to face a prolonged […]
- Virginia farmers talk meat production, fertilizer costs with USDA officials
United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy traveled to Doswell Wednesday to meet with Virginia farmers and meat producers and discuss the challenges they face – and what the federal government can do to help. Limited access to local meat processors is a persistent challenge […]
- Over 80% of Virginia experiencing severe drought conditions
A farm in King William County in April 2020. (Photo by Sarah Vogelsong /Virginia Mercury) The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report shows the entirety of Virginia is experiencing some level of drought conditions right now. The majority of the state is classified as “severe drought” with the greatest deficits in the counties along the North […]