                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

(EXPIRES JULY 1, 2030) WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE POLICY WORKING GROUP (§
62.1-223.2)

A. The Wastewater Infrastructure Policy Working Group (the Working Group) is
established as an advisory board within the meaning of &#xA7; 2.2-2100 in the
executive branch of state government. The purpose of the Working Group is to
continually assess wastewater infrastructure needs in the Commonwealth and
develop policy recommendations.

B. The Working Group shall have a total membership of four ex officio members.
The Director of the Department of Environmental Quality, the State Health
Commissioner, the Director of the Department of Housing and Community
Development, and the Executive Director of the Virginia Resources Authority, or
their designees, shall serve ex officio with voting privileges. Members of the
Working Group shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. A
majority of the members shall constitute a quorum.

C. The Working Group shall invite participation in its meetings by the Virginia
Association of Counties, the Virginia Association of Planning District
Commissions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, the Virginia
Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association, the Virginia Association of Municipal
Wastewater Agencies, the Virginia Rural Water Association, and SERCAP, Inc.

D. The Working Group shall have the following powers and duties:

   1. Assess wastewater infrastructure needs in the Commonwealth and develop
   policy recommendations.

   2. Promote public education about the importance of adequate wastewater
   treatment.

   3. Encourage collaboration among local, state, and federal government
   entities, including consistent collaboration and coordination of grant
   requirements and timelines.

   4. Endorse community-based and regional projects as opposed to cumulative and
   repetitive site-by-site individual solutions and integrated solutions across
   sewer and onsite wastewater treatment systems.

   5. Support prioritized, focused, and innovative use of state and federal
   funding to address needs determined pursuant to &#xA7; 62.1-223.3.

   6. Prioritize universal access to wastewater treatment that protects public
   health and the environment and supports local economic growth and stability.

   7. Support the incorporation of the effects of climate change into wastewater
   treatment regulatory and funding programs.

   8. Submit an annual report to the Governor and the General Assembly for
   publication as a report document as provided in the procedures of the Division
   of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents
   and reports. The Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources shall submit to
   the Governor and the General Assembly an annual executive summary of the
   interim activity and work of the Working Group no later than the first day of
   each regular session of the General Assembly. The executive summary shall be
   submitted as a report document as provided in the procedures of the Division
   of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents
   and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly&#8217;s website.

E. The Secretaries of Natural and Historic Resources, Commerce and Trade, and
Health and Human Resources shall provide staff support to the Working Group. The
Center for Coastal Resources Management at the Virginia Institute of Marine
Science and the Virginia Coastal Resilience Collaborative at The College of
William and Mary in Virginia shall advise the Working Group. All agencies of the
Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Working Group upon request.

F. Notwithstanding the provisions of &#xA7; 30-19.1:9, the provisions of this
section shall expire on July 1, 2030.

HISTORY: 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 382; 2024, c. 13.