Methane in the Atmosphere Rises

R B Jackson, M Saunois, P Bousquet , J G Canadell, B Poulter, A R Stavert , P Bergamaschi, Y Niwa , A Segers and A Tsuruta: Increasing anthropogenic methane emissions arise equally from agricultural and fossil fuel sources, Environ. Res. Lett. 15 (2020) 071002 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab9ed2/pdf.


As you have probably heard or read the lock downs associated with the Covid-19 pandemic has reduced global carbon emissions, albeit temporarily. However, Scientists at the Stanford’s School of Earth Energy and Environmental Sciences believe it is unlikely that methane levels in the environment have seen the same reduction because many of the sources of methane have continued unabated. The paper cited above tells the story or rising methane levels. Methane levels in the atmosphere have risen since 2000. We care about methane because climate scientists estimate that the gas is responsible for about one quarter of the global warming that has happened since industrialization.

According to the paper cited above the amount of methane in Earth’s atmosphere continues to rise. Concentrations of methane now exceed 1875 parts per billion, about 2.5 times as much as was in the atmosphere in the 1850s. The researchers synthesized all known data about methane from the US EPA’s emissions inventories, atmospheric measurements, and models to assemble a global “methane budget” that details which processes add the gas to the atmosphere and which remove it.

 

from the Global Carbon Project

According to their study, wetlands contributed 30% of global methane emissions, with oil, gas, and coal activities accounting for 20%. Agriculture, including enteric fermentation (cow belching), manure management, and rice cultivation, made up 24% of emissions, and landfill gas contributed 11%. Sixty-four percent of methane emissions came from the tropical regions of South America, Asia, and Africa, with temperate regions accounting for 32% and the Arctic contributing 4%.

Methane emissions rose most sharply in Africa and the Middle East; China; and South Asia and Oceania. Each of these three regions increased emissions by an estimated 10 to 15 million tons per year during the study period. The United States followed behind, increasing methane emissions by 4.5 million tons, mostly due to more natural gas drilling, distribution and consumption.Europe was the only region where methane emissions decreased over the study period, attributed to reductions chemical manufacturing and growing food more efficiently with better management of manure and landfills. 

According to Dr. Jackson and his colleagues, curbing methane emissions will require reducing fossil fuel use and controlling fugitive emissions such as leaks from pipelines and wells, as well as changes to the way we feed cattle, grow rice and eat. “We’ll need to eat less meat and reduce emissions associated with cattle and rice farming,” Dr. Jackson said, “and replace oil and natural gas in our cars and homes.”

Rob Jackson is Stanford’s Michelle and Kevin Douglas Provostial Professor. Dr. Jackson and his lab examine the many ways people affect the Earth.  They're currently examining the effects of climate change and droughts on forest and grassland ecosystems. They are also working to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the Global Carbon Project (globalcarbonproject.org), which Jackson chairs; examples of new research Rob leads include establishing a global network of methane tower measurements at more than 80 sites worldwide and measuring and reducing methane emissions from oil and gas wells, city streets, and homes and buildings.

Their work has real practical applications for reducing the emission of greenhouse gases, though he admits Human driven emissions are in many ways easier to pin down than those from natural sources.

Clean Energy Virginia

Last week Governor Ralph Northam officially launched Clean Energy Virginia,  to direct investment to renewable energy and energy efficiency and help meet the Commonwealth’s goals for clean energy production, which include powering "100 % of Virginia’s electricity from carbon-free sources" by 2045.

“Virginia has a unique opportunity to fundamentally transform the state’s electric grid in ... our COVID-19 economic recovery and drive down harmful carbon pollution,” said Governor Northam. This initiative follows on the recent enactment of the Virginia Clean Economy Act and related solar, wind, and energy efficiency legislation passed in the last legislative session. These clean energy policies require most carbon emitting sources of electricity to be discontinued by 2045, and replacing them with new investments in solar, onshore wind, offshore wind, energy efficiency to reduce overall demand, and battery storage to smooth out energy production by solar and wind versus need timing mismatch.

The Virginia Clean Economy Act accomplishes the following broad goals:

• Establishes renewable portfolio standards.
• Establishes energy efficiency standards. The Act sets an energy efficiency resource standard, requiring third party review of whether energy companies meet savings goals; and creates a new program to reduce the energy burden for low-income customers.
• Advances offshore wind. The Act requires Dominion Energy Virginia to generate 5,200 megawatts of offshore wind generation and prioritize hiring local workers from historically disadvantaged communities.
• Advances solar and distributed generation. The Act targets generating 16,100 megawatts of solar and onshore wind power. The Act requires Virginia’s two largest energy companies to construct or acquire more than 3,100 megawatts of energy storage capacity.

According to U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA) Natural gas fueled more than half of Virginia's electricity net generation in 2018. The state's two nuclear power plants supplied about 30% of Virginia's generation. Coal provided most of the rest, but biomass, hydropower, petroleum, solar photovoltaic (PV), and other energy sources also generate some electricity.

The EIA reports that renewable resources generated less than 7% of Virginia's electricity in 2018. Unfortunately, not all renewable energy is carbon free. Biomass fuels generated the largest share of renewable electricity, followed by hydroelectric power. In 2018, biomass fueled more than 4% of the state's total electricity net generation and hydropower supplied under 2%. Municipal solid waste and landfill gas are common forms of biomass used for electricity generation in Virginia, but the largest share of generating capacity is at facilities that use wood and wood waste (paper plant and forestry product waste). All these renewable biomass sources emit carbon, though the Act does not eliminate them. It appears that the language of what qualifies as renewable energy under the Act includes solar, wind hydropower, landfill gas-fired generation and a limited amount of biomass.

The largest share of solar PV generation in Virginia is provided by utility-scale facilities built in the last several years. Although solar PV to Virginia's net generation is very small (less than 1%), it doubled in 2018. Virginia does not have any wind-powered utility-scale electricity generation, yet . A test project, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, is to come on line this year in federal waters 27 miles off Virginia Beach.

As the Washington Post pointed out the Act defines “ total electric energy to mean the electric energy sold by Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power in the previous calendar year, excluding nuclear power generated by plants in service in 2020, and excluding carbon-free (but not renewable) electrical power sources established after July 1, 2030.” This definition allows Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power the flexibility to ensure that they can provide reliable power 24/7 to a future that includes the needs of data centers, and envisioned to have increased demand from the electrification of cars and other portions of the transportation sector as well as electrification of space heating. The nuclear power that provides over 30% of Virginia’s needs will stay in the mix and provide the base power.

Under Virginia’s electricity regulations, utilities are allowed to recover the costs they invest in the grid as well as a “fair rate of return” on equity to customer bills to pay for particular projects. Dominion and Appalachian Power will be permitted to pass along the costs of their new solar, wind and storage projects to the customer base; and sunk costs of any abandoned infrastructure or closed plants can continued to be recovered in full. The State Corporation Commission has estimated ratepayers could see at least a $23 per month increase on their bills by 2027-2030 this includes cost savings from energy efficiency.

Electricity consumption in Virginia is greater than electricity generation within Virginia. The additional power we need is purchased from the regional grid managed by the PJM Interconnection. All but four counties in southwest Virginia are within the PJM Interconnection, a regional transmission organization that coordinates the movement of electricity in all or parts of 13 Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states plus the District of Columbia. The four counties in southwestern Virginia that are not served by PJM are supplied by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Under the Act at least 75% of all of the energy that counts towards the renewable goal have to come from facilities in Virginia. There did not appear to be hard limits on power supplied from outside the Commonwealth to ensure uninterrupted supply of electricity.

Virginia is offering a Clean Energy Virginia Five-Part Webinar Series hosted by Governor Ralph Northam’s Office and the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME). The focus of the webinar series is on the recent legislation. You can sign up for at this link and see what it's about.  The snap shot of Virginia electricity generation by fuel type for March 2020 from the EIA shows the basic challenge ahead. 

Fairfax Water Annual Water Quality Report

Every year public water suppliers are required to issue an annual drinking water quality report to their customers before July first of the following year. In June Fairfax Water released their report which can be found in its entirety at this link. Fairfax Water owns and operates the James J. Corbalis Jr. and the Frederick P. Griffith Jr. treatment plants. These plants are the primary source of water for most of Fairfax County and portions of Loudoun county and Prince William County. Fairfax Water acquired the City of Falls Church water distribution system (the green areas) as well as a tiny area (orange area) that serve approximately 120,000 people and obtain their water from the Dalecarlia and McMillan treatment plants, part of the Washington Aqueduct which is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The result is that now Fairfax Water provides water to county residents from their two water treatment plants and buy water from the Washington Aqueduct to supply residents in and around the City of Falls Church. These were historic systems that were once town owned. The newer developments around Merrifield and the Dunn Loring Metro Station are supplied water from the Fairfax Water owned plants. Thus, they are required to report on the water quality of all these sources. 

Both the Washington Aqueduct and Fairfax Water run excellent water treatment plants. All four plants use advanced technologies and practices in drinking-water treatment, which is the process of cleaning raw water to make it safe to drink. Fairfax Water reports that their water consistently surpasses all federal (US EPA Safe Drinking Water Act) and state standards. Of the 182 compounds that are required to be tested for, very few were found in the finished drinking water. Those found were in concentrations well below the EPA’s maximum contaminant levels under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Fairfax Water’s state-certified Water Quality Laboratory performs or manages the testing required by federal and state regulations. The Washington Aqueduct does the testing for the water they supply. 

Over the years as the county grew Fairfax Water expanded its infrastructure. They built the Frederick P. Griffith Jr. Treatment Plant first and then the James J. Corbalis Jr. plant and expanded their distribution system which today serves over 1.7 million people with the lowest water rates in the region.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the EPA limits the amount of certain contaminants (a list of more than 90 contaminants) that can be in the water provided by public water systems under the Safe Drinking Water Act. When untreated water enters the treatment plants, coagulants are added to cause small particles to adhere to one another and settle in a sedimentation basin. The water is then filtered through activated carbon and sand to remove remaining fine particles. This produces water with extremely low turbidity and provides excellent barrier against pathogens such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia. 

Next, the water is disinfected with chlorine to kill harmful bacteria and viruses. A corrosion inhibitor is added to help prevent leaching of lead and copper that might be in household plumbing (Fairfax Water reports that all lead containing service laterals were removed from the system). Fluoride is added to protect teeth. Powdered activated carbon and potassium permanganate may also be added to the treatment process to remove taste or odor-causing compounds. In addition to these treatment steps, the Corbalis and Griffith plants use ozone to further reduce odors and organic material. Fairfax Water’s state-certified Water Quality Laboratory performs or manages the testing required by federal and state regulations. The Washington Aqueduct does the testing for the water they supply.

Fairfax Water and the Washington Aqueduct continually monitor and test the water during the treatment process and the finished drinking water as it leaves the plant and in customer homes a part of the Lead and Copper Rule testing. The Virginia Department of Health performs, source-water assessments for the watersheds. The assessment consists of maps of the evaluated watershed area, an inventory of known land-use activities, and documentation of any known source-water contamination within the last five years. Based on the criteria developed by the VDH, the Potomac River and the Occoquan Reservoir were determined to be of high susceptibility to contamination.

Nonetheless, the quality of the finished drinking water being produced at Washington Aqueduct and Fairfax Water is excellent. It meets or exceeds all United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) standards and requirements. The water quality report released in June covers the sampling done during calendar year 2019. There were no violations of the U.S. EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Act. The full report is at this link. 

Oil and Gas Pipelines have a Hard Week

Last Sunday Dominion Energy and Duke Energy cancelled the Atlantic Coast Pipeline announced that they have cancelled the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, despite last month’s victory where the Supreme Court upheld the easement to cross the Appalachian Trail granted by the Forest Service. Nonetheless, after spending an estimated $3.4 billion, the Atlantic Coast still faced legal challenges.

Thomas F. Farrell, II, Dominion Energy chairman, president, and chief executive officer, and Lynn J. Good, Duke Energy chair, president, and chief executive officer, released the following joint statement:
“We regret that we will be unable to complete the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. For almost six years we have worked diligently and invested billions of dollars to complete the project and deliver the much-needed infrastructure to our customers and communities. Throughout we have engaged extensively with and incorporated feedback from local communities, labor and industrial leaders, government and permitting agencies, environmental interests and social justice organizations. We express sincere appreciation for the tireless efforts and important contributions made by all who were involved in this essential project. This announcement reflects the increasing legal uncertainty that overhangs large-scale energy and industrial infrastructure development in the United States. Until these issues are resolved, the ability to satisfy the country’s energy needs will be significantly challenged.”

The next day to emphasize the challenges and legal uncertainty faced by large infrastructure projects the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, cancelled a federal permit that had allowed the Dakota Access Pipeline to operate while the United States Army Corps of Engineers, which had granted the permits for the pipeline, conducted an extensive environmental impact review. The Court ordered the pipeline that runs from North Dakota to Illinois to shut down pending an environmental review and be emptied of oil by August 5, 2020.

The same day the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal judge’s rejection of Nationwide Permit 12, is a key requirement for oil and gas pipelines in the U.S. It allows them to be built across waterways. The court’s order upheld a Montana judge’s April ruling that federal officials violated the Endangered Species Act by issuing the permit to Keystone XL without properly assessing the impact on it could have on wildlife.

Keystone XL is a project of TC Energy (formerly TransCanada). There is currently a pipeline Keystone I that runs east from Hardesty Saskatchewan to Manitoba and then south through the Dakotas to Steel City, Nebraska. It is a less direct route and is a lower volume pipeline than the proposed Keystone XL. The Keystone XL would replace Keystone I with a a new and better pipeline. Keystone I is old and this would be an upgrade to the oil transport infrastructure. The existing Keystone II runs from Steel City to Cushing, Oklahoma at the Oklahoma storage facilities. Keystone III running from the Cushing Oklahoma to the Nederland, Texas began delivering crude oil from Cushing, OK, to the oil refineries in Texas in the beginning of 2014.

 

The Keystone XL Pipeline has been very controversial. At first most of the environmental controversy focused on the porous soils of the Sandhills and fears of a possible oil leak into one of the nation's most important agricultural aquifers. Moving the pipeline away from the aquifer should have mitigate that concern, but the controversy grew. Many who oppose the Keystone XL pipeline want to prevent the development of the oil sands resources in Canada to prevent the acceleration of global warming. The Canadian oil sands have been known for decades, but until oil prices rose and technology improved these oil deposits were too expensive to exploit beyond the limited scope of surface mining. Advances in technology in both oil sand extraction and refining techniques and rising oil prices altered the economics and have made the extraction of oil sand possible, but the oil cost more in energy use to mine and process. Now this controversy has expanded on climate grounds to oppose all pipeline infrastructure.

At the same time as the Keystone XL decision this week, the Supreme Court cleared the use of the Nationwide Permit 12 for some 70 other pipelines, allowing their construction to continue as well as the protests. Protest and litigation have become weaponized. Billions of dollars have be spent for nothing and wasted, when there are real human needs and needs for maintaining our infrastructure. We must stop this waste and be honest about what the questions and issues are.

To some, possibly many, protesting and litigating to stop the pipelines, the issue is simply to stop the use of all fossil fuels. At this moment in time that is unreasonable and unworkable. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the major energy sources in the United States are petroleum-gas and oil (37%), natural gas (32%), coal (11%), nuclear (8%), and renewable energy primarily biomass and hydro power generation (11%). Though renewable energy has been growing at an amazing pace, at 11% of the energy use it will not be able to supply our needs for energy in the short run.

Natural gas is the source of 32% of the energy consumed in the United States and in 2019 was used almost equally for industry, electrical generations and residential and commercial heating. The natural gas consumed in the United States is produced in the United States and moves by pipeline, train and truck. Electrical forms of heat are not as efficient as a gas furnace. Petroleum at 37% is used mostly for transportation (cars, trucks, trains, planes and ships).

Transporting gas can be dangerous. Pipelines are the most reliable and safe way, IF the pipelines are properly maintained, and that is a big if. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency does not regulate pipelines; the regulations for secondary containment and spill prevention are inadequate. In addition, there are no regulations that limit the maximum life that equipment can continue to be used. Though the occurrences of pipeline failures are rare, the consequences are significant and more investment should be made in preventing a failure from existing infrastructure and improving existing pipelines and storage and delivery systems.

Most companies would rather pay penalties and fines than the costs of capital expenditures and operation and maintenance expense necessary to absolutely control spills. Pipelines are the safest form of transportation for crude oil and gas. We need to ensure that our pipeline are the safest they can be. Our biggest problem is not new pipelines, it is old pipelines.

The abundance of shale natural gas and oil coming from fracking has pushed the price for natural gas and oil very low and has created a glut in natural gas in this country keeping the cost of energy low and ensuring virtually everyone can have 24/7 power in essentially unlimited amounts, a competitive advantage if we do not destroy ourselves in litigation and protest. In Pennsylvania and Ohio where there is an abundance of available and cheap natural gas power companies are building new generation gas fired power plants to replace coal fired plants which are being regulated out of existence.

The new plants use a gas and steam turbine together to produce more electricity per gas BTU. Coal plant generate about twice the CO2 per megawatt of power and have higher particulate pollution than gas fired electrical power plants and the new hybrids are even more efficient. Electric demand is not growing overall nationally, but the pattern of use is changing as the end use changes. We are using more power in the evenings. In addition the closing of aging coal fired power plants has left sections of the grid short of power. There are many things we need to do now:

• Installing energy efficiency measures in buildings, and requiring increased efficiency in industry and transportation.
• Retiring coal-fired power plants. Continuing to increasing the share of power generation from renewable sources and from natural gas.
• Reducing methane released from the processing and distribution of oil and gas by replacing aging infrastructure and improving technology implementation.

Be Counted in Prince William

Prince William County and the Board of County Supervisors has begun the 2021-2024 Strategic Planning process. The Strategic Plan Development Team consists of Board appointees and County staff members. Part of the process requires community input and feedback that will help ensure resources are targeted to the most important and critical needs of Prince William County. Just by filling out the quick survey (linked below) from the Planning Department your opinion will be counted and your voice heard.

However, the survey has entirely overlooked sustainable water. Prince William County is planning for a future where they do not guarantee that all residents have an adequate, good quality and sustainable water supply. Sustainability of groundwater is hyper-local. Little is known about the sustainability of our groundwater basins in Prince William County, but potential problems are still at a manageable stage. We need to know if the current and planned use of our groundwater is sustainable even in drought years. We need to understand how ground cover by roads, parking lots and buildings will impact groundwater recharge and what level of groundwater withdrawals are sustainable on site to determine if a proposed change in land use or additional use of groundwater is sustainable before it is granted. We need to understand our groundwater and plan for sustainable water.

When I replaced my pump last spring, I took the opportunity to have my static water level measured. The measured level was 43 feet below grade. Sixteen years ago when the well was installed the static water level was 30 feet below grade. Though the recharge is still good it appears that the groundwater table is falling- 13 feet in 16 years. My neighborhood of 10 acre homes was built about 16 years ago. Groundwater levels can be affected by how many other wells draw from the aquifer, how much groundwater is being used in the surrounding area for agricultural, private or public supply, or how much groundwater is being recharged.

Development of an area can impact groundwater recharge. Land use changes that increases impervious cover from roads, pavement and buildings does two things. It reduces the open area for rain and snow to seep into the ground and percolate into the groundwater and the impervious surfaces cause stormwater velocity to increase preventing water from having enough time to percolate into the earth, increasing storm flooding and preventing recharge of groundwater from occurring. Slowly, over time, this can reduce groundwater supply and the water table falls.

The U.S. Geological Survey, USGS, maintains a group of groundwater monitoring wells in Virginia that measure groundwater conditions daily and can be viewed online. Only one of wells is a few miles northwest of here just west of Route 15. The land use around that well has not changed in decades. Daily monitoring data available from that well go back to 2004 (other records exist covering 39 years 1975-2014, but are no longer available on line). What can be seen in the graph below is the slow decline in the water level despite not experiencing any significant droughts since 2008 and having the wettest year on record in 2018. The decline is modest over this period compared to my well, but will continue and get worse over time especially if demand for groundwater is increased and impervious surfaces continue to grow, reducing recharge.

We need to plan for sustainable groundwater for private use and the public supply wells that still draw on groundwater. Please fill out the survey and WRITE IN SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER and Adequate and Sustainable Water. 

from USGS

The County says that they are compiling demographic data because they would like responses from a broad cross-section of the community. They assure us all responses are anonymous. Here is the link for the survey and please share it with your neighbors and have all our voices counted.

https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5635864/2021-2024-Strategic-Plan-Survey

Know Your Flood Risk

If you have ever bought a house you should have some idea of what a flood zone is. If the house you bought is within the “100 year flood zone” which is really a 1% annual risk of flooding. It is said to be in Special Flood Hazard Area, SFHA; and requires flood insurance. Moderate flood hazard areas, are the areas between the limits of the base flood and the 0.2% annual chance of flooding (or 500-year) flood. The areas of minimal flood hazard, which are the areas outside the SFHA and higher than the elevation of the 0.2-percent-annual-chance flood, are labeled Zone C or Zone X (unshaded). However, according to FEMA, more than 20% of flood claims come from homes located outside of a high-risk flood zone. Floods can happen anywhere, flood zones just have a higher probability.

FEMA has worked in recent years to update its flood maps, especially in coastal zones, but FEMA’s flood maps are intended for flood plain management, not for mitigation of flood damage for homeowners. The FEMA's maps align with First Street's analysis of current and future flood risk in many areas. However, there are some areas, parts of South Florida and much of the Mid-Atlantic coast, that face higher flood risk than FEMA's maps currently indicate, partly because seas are rising and ocean water is growing warmer, the perfect conditions for more severe storms and hurricanes.

First Street Foundation is a non-profit research and technology group committed to defining America’s flood risk. They have developed a model to evaluate flood risk from multiple sources while also including current and future environmental considerations that may change storm intensity. They have identified this risk on a 1 to 10 scale at the individual property level. This combination of high-resolution scale and national scope brings to homeowners and the public in general a more exhaustive and comprehensive flood risk. According to First Street, FEMA, has undercounted nearly 8 million homes and businesses that face substantial risk of flooding, placing more Americans in jeopardy from coastal storms, rising rivers and flash flooding..

First Street’s Flood Factor model was produced in partnership with researchers and hydrologists from First Street Foundation; Columbia University; Fathom; George Mason University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Rhodium Group; Rutgers University; The University of California, Berkeley; and University of Bristol. According to First Street this collaboration makes use of open government data and builds upon decades of research, modeling, and expertise, brought together to develop a high-resolution, property-specific flood risk information at a national scale.

The top five states showing the greatest proportion of properties currently with substantial flood risk* include:

• West Virginia (24.4%),
• Louisiana (21.1%),
• Florida (20.5%),
• Idaho (14.8%) and
• Montana (14.2%),

The states with the lowest proportions of properties that currently have substantial risk are:

• Arizona (3.7%),
• Nevada (3.7%),
• Washington D.C. (5.3%),
• Colorado (5.7%), and
• Maryland (6.2%).

When adjusting for future environmental changes, by 2050 the number of properties with substantial risk across the country will increase by 10.9% to 16.2 million. Louisiana (69.7%), Delaware (21%), New Jersey (19.1%), Florida (18.6%), and South Carolina (16.7%) will see the greatest proportional increase of properties with significant flooding risk over the next 30 years.

The Foundation provides this information for every property in the contiguous U.S., in a format that is publicly and freely accessible via Flood Factor™, (www.floodfactor.com), all you have to do click the link and type in your address or the address of any property you are interested in and the model gives you the flood risk. The tool presents past, present and future flood risk with particular attention paid to recent and projected climate changes that contribute to flood risk. Also, remember that homeowners insurance does not cover damage from flooding, that is a separate flood policy.

Virginia Enters Phase Three

As many know, the Phase Three of the Forward Virginia plan went into effect at midnight on July 1. On Tuesday, Governor Ralph Northam  announced that bar seating will remain prohibited in restaurants as the Commonwealth. Learning from the experience of other states as they have opened and to reduce the likelihood of patrons gathering in bar areas without observing social distancing guidelines, bar seating and congregating areas of restaurants will remain closed except for those passing through. Restaurants may use non-bar seating in the bar area, as long as a minimum of six feet between tables is provided.

Governor Northam also continues to remind Virginians that they are safer at home, especially if they are high-risk or vulnerable. All Virginians must continue to comply with the statewide face covering requirement in indoor public spaces, and Virginians are strongly encouraged to:

·     continue teleworking if possible

·     wash hands regularly

·     maintain six feet of physical distance when outside of home

get tested immediately if you have COVID-19 symptoms

You can see more details here.