Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP)

Nicola McGoff

Thomas Jefferson Soil & Water Conservation District

Charlottesville: (434) 975-0224 Louisa: (540) 967-5940

www.tjswcd.org

VCAP – the beginning . . .

Four SWCD collaborated on a “Pilot Project” To develop a manual for SWCD urban cost share program template NFWF grant Approximately $25,000 Hired Randolph Macon College to develop manual with monthly meetings from District staff Included 10 BMPs (details later) Took approximately 2 years to develop

To get grants to implement some urban BMPs in each of the four Districts

VCAP Pilot Project Area Thomas Jefferson SWCD: Charlottesville, Louisa, Albemarle, Nelson, Fluvanna

Culpeper SWCD: Culpeper, Greene, Madison, Orange, Rappahannock

Hanover-Caroline SWCD: Hanover, Caroline

Piedmont SWCD: Nottoway, Prince Edward, Amelia

VCAP Aims

Reduce stormwater runoff Reduce pollution and sediment loads of stormwater

VCAP Initial Grants

Each of the four Districts brought grant money for a different BMP. H-C: Rain water Harvesting Piedmont: Pet Waste Stations TJSWCD: Turf to Natives Culpeper: Rain Gardens All BMPs are retrofit and not for new construction sites.

Rain Water Harvesting

• $20,000 Private fund, Hanover Caroline District • 250 Gallons or larger • Year round water use plan • Outdoor and indoor use allowable • 10 year maintenance required • Engineer stamp to verify safety • To collect 1 inch rainfall (minimum) • $2/gallon, up to max $12,000

One urban, indoor use (non-potable), two houses split water (875 G), high tech metering, 30% reduction

One rural, for duck pond, very simple and effective. 550 gallons of storage from a 320 ft sq shed roof

Pet Waste Stations

• $2,700 Piedmont SWCD • Grant from Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund (CBRF) • Public areas only • Maintain for 3 years • Sign and bags required, trash can optional (lesson learned) • Cost share 75% up to $400 per applicant

• One neighborhood applicant • 7 stations in common areas • Informative bags • Immediate neighborhood “envy”

Turf to Natives

• $38,430 TJSWCD • Two grants: Virginia Environmental Endowment & NFWF • Public & Private land; Residential and Commercial • Maintain for 10 years • Site one acre or less

Turf to Natives

Incentive payment with 3 rates • Turf to meadow: $75/1000 ft sq • Turf to no-mow-forest: $75/1000 ft sq • Turf to woody landscaping: $250/1000 ft sq

Turf to Natives

“We have converted 62,500 sq-miles to suburban lawn in the U. S. This is over 8 times the size of New Jersey dedicated to an alien plant.” --Doug Tallamy

Lawns = Largest “crop” in the Chesapeake Bay

Increasing in acres by 8.6% a year in Virginia

Photos by Doug Tallamy

Turf to Natives: Meadow

Turf to Natives: Education

Imagine the root depth (and community) below this landscape and how water flows into it

Turf to Natives: Landscaping

Turf to Natives: Commercial Spaces

• $7,550 Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund • Culpeper SWCD • Landscaped depression with good soil • 10 years maintenance • Cost share 75% up to a maximum payment of $2000 • Must have overflow route

Rain Gardens

Making a Rain Garden

Sand --- Soil --- Mulch--- Plants

Native plant species that are tolerant of both wet and dry conditions

VCAP Raingarden •Landscaper & Homeowner • 84 ft3 treatment volume •2754 ft2 drainage area, with 1502 ft2 impervious

Charlottesville stormwater utility (2014) • Wanted to encourage urban BMPs • Using TJSWCD to manage “Incentives

Program” • $32,000 annually • Covers all 10 BMPs in the pilot manual • Called Charlottesville Conservation Assistance • Program (CCAP) • Complements the credit system for their

stormwater utility

VCAP and Charlottesville

CCAP

Pet Waste Stations (PWS) Rainwater Harvesting (RH) Turf Conversion to Native Plants (TCN) Rain Gardens (RG) Bioretention (BR) Vegetated Stormwater Conveyances (VSC) Constructed Wetlands (CW) Impervious Surface Removal (ISR) Permeable Pavement (PP) Green Roofs (GF)

Bioretention

Bioretention Basin or Bioretention Area Greater than 2500 ft2 drainage area Larger than rain gardens 10 years maintenance Handles the 25 year storm event or more Usually engineered soil media Engineers stamp required 75% cost share, maximum $10,000

Bioretention

Vegetated Stormwater Conveyance

Constructed trapezoidal channel, lined with vegetation Better than a pipe but still a conveyance Modest detention, infiltration, and filtering Three types: Grass Channels (as it sounds); 50% cost share, $1000 max Dry Swales (linear bioretention with check dams); 75% cost share, $5000 max Wet Swales (linear constructed wetland, intercepts groundwater); 75% cost share, $3000 max

Vegetated Stormwater Conveyance

Grass Channel

Dry Swale

Wet Swale

Constructed Wetlands

Built to mimic wetland function Less than 1 foot deep Saturated for 2-3 weeks Water quality practice, not volume reduction Use in poorly drained areas Use as last option in treatment train Less than 10 acres drainage area 10 years maintenance 50% cost share up to $3/ft2 and a max of $12,000

Constructed Wetlands

Impervious Surface Removal

0.5 acre or less 5 year maintenance Must plan for vegetation reestablishment or permeable pavers installation Incentive payment $2.50/ft2 up to $15,000 max

Impervious Surface Removal

Permeable Pavers

Porous Concrete/Asphalt Permeable Pavers Grid pavers 0.5 acre or less 10 year maintenance Basin under pavers to infiltrate and hold stormwater Can be rainwater collection system Can treat 3+ times the stormwater off the direct surface area, so can redirect roof gutters onto paving 50% cost share up to $3/ft2, with $12,000 max

Permeable Pavers

Permeable Pavers

Green Roof

200ft2 or larger Aimed at “Extensive” systems, which have shallower soil media (2-6 inches) Modular Roll out mat type Soil and seeds/plugs 2%-16% roof slope 10 year maintenance $10/ft2 to a max of $10,000

Green Roof

Green Roof Components

Green Roof

VCAP and CCAP

Pet Waste Stations (PWS) Rainwater Harvesting (RH) Turf Conversion to Native Plants (TCN) Rain Gardens (RG) Bioretention (BR) Vegetated Stormwater Conveyances (VSC) Constructed Wetlands (CW) Impervious Surface Removal (ISR) Permeable Pavement (PP) Green Roofs (GF)

VCAP: Next Steps

Secure more funding to continue full suite of BMPs throughout the District

Expand to a statewide program for all SWCD

Measure, monitor, and report back how the BMPs affect stormwater

THANK YOU

Questions? Please check our website

www.tjswcd.org or call me 434-975-0224 ext 103

nicola.mcgoff@tjswcd.org