Project Task Number:
46
Grantee:
Northern Virginia Regional Commission
Project Title:
NVRC Coastal Resources Technical Assistance Program
Project Description:
The Technical Assistance grants provided by the Coastal Zone Management program have been integral in supporting coastal-related technical assistance to Northern Virginia localities since 1992. For FY15, the Northern Virginia Regional Commission proposes the following efforts to continue the promotion of collaborative endeavors.
Local Coordination and Training
NVRC will convene four workshops, meetings, or trainings on topics of local interest and/or that promote collaborative measures for discussing or addressing CZM interests. These topics may include shoreline management, rain gardens, climate change adaptation, new policies and procedures, living shorelines, green infrastructure planning, and other relevant topics.
Additionally, NVRC staff will participate in ongoing local and regional forums, including the Potomac Watershed Roundtable and the Northern Virginia Urban Forestry Roundtable.
Special Project
Since 2003, NVRC has managed the Northern Virginia Clean Water Partners Regional Social Marketing Campaign. Technical assistance funds will continue to support the overall administration of this project, including the acquisition of leveraged funding from partners, the development of website content and promotional materials, and procurement of contractual services such as cable advertising and post campaign surveys.
An annual survey will be conducted through online polls to better understand the level of awareness of Northern Virginians on pollution-causing behaviors and to what degree the campaign messages encourages them to take action and change their behaviors. These results will continue to inform the messages placed in campaign advertisements including the campaign website - onlyrain.org, public service announcements and other multi-media promotional materials.
EIS/EIR/ER and Permit Reviews
NVRC will continue to review and respond to environmental impact statements and reviews for consistency with local, regional, and state interests.
Federal Funding:
$30,000
Project Contact:
Corey Miles; 703.642.4625; cmiles@novaregion.org
Project Status:
10/1/15 - 9/30/16; Project Completed
Final Product:
Annual Report of Northern Virginia Coastal Resources Technical Assistance Program (PDF)
Project Summary:
NVRC continued to provide technical assistance to state and local groups engaged in watershed planning initiatives, shoreline management, and other coastal/Chesapeake Bay-related efforts. The following are representative examples of the types of coordination and technical assistance NVRC’s Coastal Program provided in FY 15.
• Coastal Planning District Commissions Planning Meetings
• Virginia Coastal Policy Team Meetings
• Potomac Watershed Roundtable
• Northern Virginia Urban Forestry Roundtable
• Northern Virginia Regional Sustainability Network
• Northern Virginia Native Plant Campaign
The following training events were held in FY15:
Residential Rain Gardens - Beautifying Your Yard for Clean Water (November 07, 2015)
NVRC co-hosted one Beautifying Your Yard for Clean Water workshop on building small-scale rain gardens. Thirty participants learned how to design, build, landscape, and maintain small-scale residential rain gardens at the Providence Community Center in Vienna, VA. www.novaregion.org/raingardens
Special Project
NVRC continued to coordinate the Northern VA Clean Water Partners Program. In FY 2015, the Partners used television, print, internet advertising and the Only Rain Down the Storm Drain website (www.onlyrain.org) to distribute messages linked to specific stormwater problems, such as proper pet waste disposal, over fertilization of lawns and gardens and proper disposal of motor oil to encourage behavior change in residents. NVRC also conducted a follow up survey to determine the effectiveness of the ads and reveal any changes in behavior as a result of seeing the ads.
FY15 accomplishments include
16,750,236 total household television impressions delivered, 1,381,317 total digital impressions delivered, including internet banner ads and in- stream video ads, the ads aired 41,434 times on television from July 2015 – June 2016, 37,489 visitors to the www.onlyrain.org website, 500 follow-up survey responses, and 75% of the target audience was reached.
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