Virginia Coastal Program: 2004 Coastal Grant Project Description and Final Summary
Project Task:
FY2004 Task 83.02
Grantee:
Northern Virginia Regional Commission
Project Title:
Low Impact Development BMP Handbook for Private Owners and Operators
Project Description as Proposed:
A LID BMP Guide
for Private Owners and Operators builds on and updates NVRC’s
February 2000 publication entitled, Maintaining Your BMP: A Guidebook
for Private Owners and Operators in Northern Virginia. The proposed
guide will draw upon the insights of multiple stakeholder groups,
including developers, builders, and local planners. The guide will
be tested for efficacy with homeowners, multifamily and commercial
property managers, and homeowners associations. The project will
focus on LID practices, including those practices targeted in support
of meeting Virginia’s Tributary Strategy goals. The guide will
define and describe LID, and it will clearly explain why the practices
used on private property are critical to healthy communities and
a healthy Chesapeake Bay. The guide will outline the role of homeowners
and property managers in inspecting and maintaining LID practices,
and it will provide resources and web links for further assistance.
This project will build on existing work to the maximum extent practicable.
Importantly, this project contains a marketing component to ensure
that the guide is publicized, distributed and put into use across
the region. The guide will be distributed through builders, real
estate agents, property management firms, homeowners’ and community
associations, local government agencies, and organizations involved
in community LID design, construction and outreach.
Federal Funding:
$19,266
Project Contact:
Laura Grape, 703.642.4625, lgrape@novaregion.org
Project Status:
Project Completed
Final Product Received:
A PDF of the guidebook is on-line at www.novaregion.org/bmp.htm High-resolution copies are available on CD-ROM by request.
Project Summary Provided by Grantee:
Uncontrolled and untreated stormwater runoff is a primary cause of physical stream degradation and decreased water quality in urban areas. The techniques and philosophies for managing the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff have changed significantly over the last several decades from flood control and detention ponds to integrated infiltration practices and low impact development (LID). However, the effectiveness of these stormwater management solutions relies on several aspects, including their long-term maintenance, which is often overlooked or undervalued. While many Northern Virginia local governments have programs in place to perform routine inspections of stormwater best management practices (BMPs), the maintenance responsibility often falls on the shoulders of private owners and operators.
Maintaining Stormwater Systems: A Guidebook for Private Owners and Operators introduces the maintenance needs for eleven of the most common traditional and innovative BMPs found in Northern Virginia, provides guidance for planning maintenance costs, contains a troubleshooting guide, lists local government contacts and additional resources.
Two thousand (2,000) copies of the guidebook were printed. The majority will be distributed to private owners and operators by local government staff. NVRC will retain a limited number of hardcopies for distribution to other interested parties, upon request. The guidebook is also accessible in Adobe PDF format on the web at www.novaregion.org/bmp.htm and high-resolution copies are available on CD-ROM.
To complement this effort, two workshops were held on designing, building, and maintaining rain gardens. Rain gardens are one of the most commonly recognized LID practices in Northern Virginia and are often built as demonstration projects by the local governments. In some newer communities, rain gardens on individual lots are replacing larger detention and retention ponds. NVRC along with the Community Appearance Alliance of Northern Virginia hosted a workshop for the professional landscaping and nursery community and one for homeowners on how to design, build, and maintain a residential rain garden. A demonstration project was built with technical assistance provided by the Fairfax County Regional Park Authority, Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, and Virginia Department of Forestry.
Over eighty landscape architects, landscaping and nursery professionals, environmental consultants, master gardeners, and homeowners attended the workshops. Each participant received a “How to” packet of information that included local supply resources, design, and planting information, as well as a recently released technical guide developed by the Virginia Department of Forestry.
A third workshop was held on maintaining stormwater BMPs for private owners and operators. Approximately 50 property management companies, homeowner association representatives, and public works staff attended the event. Presentations that highlighted inspections and maintenance agreements, sediment removal and disposal, nuisance vegetation and algae management, and a case study, were by the Fairfax County’s Maintenance and Stormwater Management Division, NVRC, Angler Environmental, Inc., and the Reston Association, respectively. Each participant received a copy of the Guidebook and a list of online resources. Several participants stated this was the best workshop they have attended on this subject.
As the effectiveness of BMPs and their maintenance strategies continue to be evaluated and refined, particularly for LID practices, this guidebook, along with the complementing workshop materials, may need to be updated again in the near future.
Disclaimer: This project summary provides the federal dollars initially awarded to the grantee. Due to underexpenditure or reprogramming of grant funds, this figure may change. For more information on the allocation of coastal grant funds, please contact Laura McKay, Virginia Coastal Program Manager, at 804.698.4323 or email: Laura.McKay@deq.virginia.gov
A more detailed Scope of Work for this project is available. Please direct your request for a copy to Virginia.Witmer@deq.virginia.gov
