District staff periodically monitors stormwater discharge points to alert the County of potential illicit discharges within the storm sewer system.
Local officials, local staff, developers, consultants, and members of the general public attended workshops throughout the District to learn about the proposed changes to the Virginia Stormwater Management Regulations.
Virginia Stormwater Management Program (VSMP):
On May 16th local government staff members, elected and appointed
officials were invited to attend an informative workshop on Virginia’s
Stormwater Management Program (VSMP). At this workshop, lead staff members
presented DCR’s plans for supporting local governments. The VSMP will be
implemented by local governments throughout the Commonwealth no later than
July 20, 2014.
Presentations from this workshop can be found at the
links below:
- SWM Program Development Tools by Salvati
- SWM Revised Regulations by Snead
- Stormwater E-Permitting by Seeley
For further information or questions, please contact Alyson Sappington (TJSWCD) at (434) 975-0224 alyson.sappington@tjswcd.org or Steve Williams (TJPDC) at (434) 979-7310 x110 swilliams@tjpdc.org.
Stormwater Management Program
As the TJSWCD experiences continued development, minimizing the impact of that development on area waterways is becoming more critical. The TJSWCD continues to provide technical assistance to localities in this area.
This past year has been a busy one on the stormwater management front. For several years, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation has been working on revising the Virginia Stormwater Management Regulations. The TJSWCD served on the state Technical Advisory Committee to assist with these efforts. During this past year, the draft regulations were published for public comment. The TJSWCD conducted work sessions for each of its localities to ensure that accurate information was available to the public and to local officials and to facilitate informed comments. (Three of these work sessions were conducted in partnership with the Rivanna River Basin Commission, which also played a prominent role in information dissemination about the proposed Regulations.)
The TJSWCD also serves on the state Technical Advisory Committee for the development of a stormwater BMP (Best Management Practice) clearinghouse website. This website will provide the most up-to-date technical standards for traditional and innovative stormwater practice.
The new regulations mean that a Stormwater Management Ordinance will be in effect in every locality in Virginia. Some localities will administer the program themselves, some may administer it through Soil and Water Conservation Districts, while other localities may opt to have the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation administer the local program. Both water quantity and water quality criteria will be more stringent than existing regulations. The new regulations and new technical standards will impact both local governments and developers. In the coming years, the TJSWCD will continue to assist with training, information dissemination, and program implementation as the new regulations take effect throughout Virginia.
Armoring banks with rip-rap prevents erosion caused by stormwater.
Retention ponds reduce the flush of pollutants into rivers and streams and allows water to percolate into groundwater.
Clean Water Act - NPDES Stormwater Program
Under the Clean Water Act, operators of municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) are regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Stormwater Program. This permitting mechanism is designed to prevent stormwater runoff from washing pollutants into local streams and rivers.
The Rivanna Regional Stormwater Education Partnership (RRSEP) is comprised of seven permit holders - Albemarle County, Albemarle County Public Schools, Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority, Piedmont Virginia Community College, University of Virginia, Virginia Department of Transportation, and the City of Charlottesville. The TJSWCD provides coordination for this partnership. The RRSEP partnership fulfills three of the six commitments for each entity under this permit program:
Volunteers help to install placards alerting the community that anything that enters stormdrains eventually flows to rivers and streams.
- Public Education and Outreach: The TJSWCD conducts teacher and student educational programs, workshops and tours, and provides website development and maintenance to meet this commitment.
- Public Involvement and Participation: The TJSWCD strives to get the public involved by utilizing citizen volunteers to assist with river clean-ups, rain barrel workshops, and placing informational placards on storm drains. The District also works with homeowner associations to educate homeowners and help them understand their responsibilities in maintaining best management practices within their subdivisions.
- Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE): The TJSWCD supports this program by surveying streams, mapping stormwater outfalls, and keeping an eye out for potential illegal discharges. The District also provides a hotline (phone and web-based) as a means for citizens to report potentially harmful discharges to waterways.
The TJSWCD works with homeowner associations to encourage improved maintenance of best management practices (BMPs) on private land.
