---
type: "Bill"
title: "Coal ash ponds; definitions, testing private wells and public water supply wells, etc."
description: "Coal ash ponds; private wells and public water supply wells; resident notification. Requires a utility, defined in the bill as the owner or operator of a coal ash pond in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, to complete a survey of all private wells and public water supply wells within 1.5 miles of each of its ponds by October 1, 2020, and to notify residents via mail and a local newspaper posting that the survey will be conducted."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "HB 1641"
citation: "Virginia HB 1641 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Hala S. Ayala"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 38
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2020-01-16"
last_action: "2020-04-02"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/3bf8ff34-1e8d-42d2-98d4-d69713b72c98"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB1641"
source_hash: "e33c788de3237eb7a3e9d82d5830d78a77f08beb12b8f927b03ea43afa399b93"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia HB 1641 (2020) — Coal ash ponds; definitions, testing private wells and public water supply wells, etc.

Coal ash ponds; private wells and public water supply wells; resident notification. Requires a utility, defined in the bill as the owner or operator of a coal ash pond in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, to complete a survey of all private wells and public water supply wells within 1.5 miles of each of its ponds by October 1, 2020, and to notify residents via mail and a local newspaper posting that the survey will be conducted.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0625)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0625)
2. **Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1641ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB1641ER)
3. **Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB1641H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB1641H1)
4. **Impact statement from DPB (HB1641)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB1641)
5. **Impact statement from DPB (HB1641S1)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB1641S1)

## Votes

- Passed Senate with substitute (32-Y 7-N) — **32–7** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources with substitute (16-Y 5-N) — **16–5** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources with substitite (10-Y 4-N) — **10–4** (pass) · upper
- VOTE: Passage (75-Y 24-N) — **74–24** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Adoption (73-Y 23-N) — **72–23** (pass) · lower
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (5-Y 0-N) — **5–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Hala S. Ayala — primary (person)
- Alfonso H. Lopez — cosponsor (person)
- C.E. Cliff Hayes, Jr. — cosponsor (person)
- Charniele L. Herring — cosponsor (person)
- Chris L. Hurst — cosponsor (person)
- Dan I. Helmer — cosponsor (person)
- Danica A. Roem — cosponsor (person)
- David L. Bulova — cosponsor (person)
- James A. "Jay" Leftwich — cosponsor (person)
- James E. Edmunds, II — cosponsor (person)
- Jennifer Carroll Foy — cosponsor (person)
- Jerrauld C. "Jay" Jones — cosponsor (person)
- Joseph C. Lindsey — cosponsor (person)
- Joshua G. Cole — cosponsor (person)
- Karrie K. Delaney — cosponsor (person)
- Kathleen Murphy — cosponsor (person)
- Kathy K.L. Tran — cosponsor (person)
- Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler — cosponsor (person)
- Kenneth R. Plum — cosponsor (person)
- Marcus B. Simon — cosponsor (person)
- Mark D. Sickles — cosponsor (person)
- Mark H. Levine — cosponsor (person)
- Mark L. Keam — cosponsor (person)
- Patrick A. Hope — cosponsor (person)
- Paul E. Krizek — cosponsor (person)
- Sam Rasoul — cosponsor (person)
- Vivian E. Watts — cosponsor (person)
- Wendy W. Gooditis — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2020-01-16** Presented and ordered printed 20104490D `introduction`
- **2020-01-16** Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-20** Assigned ACNR sub: Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-24** Impact statement from DPB (HB1641)
- **2020-01-31** House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2020-01-31** Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (5-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-05** Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources with substitute (16-Y 5-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-05** Committee substitute printed 20106955D-H1 `substitution`
- **2020-02-06** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-07** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-07** Committee substitute agreed to 20106955D-H1
- **2020-02-07** Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB1641H1
- **2020-02-10** Read third time and passed House (75-Y 24-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2020-02-10** VOTE: Passage (75-Y 24-N)
- **2020-02-11** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2020-02-11** Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-12** Impact statement from DPB (HB1641H1)
- **2020-02-25** Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources with substitite (10-Y 4-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-25** Committee substitute printed 20108966D-S1 `substitution`
- **2020-02-27** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-28** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-28** Reading of substitute waived
- **2020-02-28** Committee substitute agreed to 20108966D-S1
- **2020-02-28** Passed by for the day
- **2020-03-02** Impact statement from DPB (HB1641S1)
- **2020-03-02** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-03-02** Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB1641S1
- **2020-03-02** Passed Senate with substitute (32-Y 7-N) `passage`
- **2020-03-03** Placed on Calendar
- **2020-03-03** Senate substitute agreed to by House 20108966D-S1 (73-Y 23-N)
- **2020-03-03** VOTE: Adoption (73-Y 23-N)
- **2020-03-06** Enrolled
- **2020-03-06** Impact statement from DPB (HB1641ER)
- **2020-03-06** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-06** Signed by President
- **2020-03-12** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 12, 2020
- **2020-03-12** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
- **2020-04-02** Approved by Governor-Chapter 625 (effective 7/1/20) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/3bf8ff34-1e8d-42d2-98d4-d69713b72c98`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).